
iU, 



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Glass 

Book Xt 3. 



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THE 



WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 



BY 



/ 

JAMES GALLAHER 



BOSTON: 

PUBLISHED BY CROCKER AND BREWSTER. 

NEW YORK : M. W. DODD. 
PHILADELPHIA: WILLIAM L. MARTIEN. 

1850. 



^?& 

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€■ 



40371 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1850, by 

JAMES GALLAIIER, 

In the Clerk's Olhce of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 



STEREOTYPED AT THE 
BOSTON STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY. 



PREFACE. 



The articles in the Western Sketch Book are 
mostly on religious subjects. It was not intended, 
however, that they should be exclusively so : some 
of the anecdotes are merely historical ; yet it is 
hoped that they will convey to the reader valuable 
information. 

In the sketches here furnished of "men and 
things," great regard has been had to accuracy and 
truth. The facts stated may be relied on as of the 
most authentic character. It was the settled purpose 
of the author, that as an historical record, this pub- 
lication should occupy the highest ground. There 
are a few articles of an allegorical cast, given as 
professed extracts from ancient books which have 
long since been lost — " the Book of Ahijah the 
vShilonite," "the Book of Nathan the Prophet," 
"the Book of the Visions of Iddo the Seer," &c. 
The reader will., of course, understand that the 
giving of these articles as " extracts," is merely a 
part of that allegorical or figurative mode of repre- 
sentation which the author has chosen to employ. 



IV PREFACE. 



The views on the subject of revivals of religion, 
which pervade this volume, are such as the author 
believes he has received from the Bible, and has 
had confirmed by an experience in the ministry of 
more than thirty-four years. 

When describing scenes in which I myself have 
been concerned, I have used the pronoun in the first 
person singular. On this subject I fully agree with 
Dr. Dwight, former president of Yale College. 

{i Dr. Dwight," said an inquirer, " is it not better 
for a minister, when speaking of himself, to say 
'we,' rather than 'I? ' 

" I think not," answered the doctor. 

" But it avoids the appearance of egotism" 

" Ah, well," said Dr. Dwight, " I would rather 
have egotism than wegotism." 



.CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Introduction, 7 

The Honey-Bee, 9 

The Great Western Revival, 19 

Recollections of General Jackson, 67 

The Eagle and the Gnat, 87 

Elijah and the Carmelite ; or, the Evils of Rain, .' 94 

Stage-coach Discussion, 112 

The Skeleton Preacher, and the Congregation of Dry Bones, .. 128 

The Little Auger and King Solomon, 151 

The Great Men of the Bible, 157 

The Public Rebuke, 172 

The Living and the Dead Prophets, 177 

The Divinity Student, 194 

Jo ; or, the Voice of Conscience, 201 

Red River, 213 

The Red River Buzzard, 230 

Sudden Conversions, 240 

Growth in Knowledge, 251 

Saints to excel Angels in Glory, 257 

The Doctrines preferred in Heaven, 262 

The Millennium 272 

Bel and Nebo 301 

1 * 



6 CONTENTS. 

Exposition of Scripture, 306 

A Vision, 310 

Anecdote of Rev. E. F. Hatfield, 335 

The Mississippi Judge 339 

Recollections of Gideon Blackburn, 347 

Camp Meetings, 359 

Recollection of Dr. David Nelson, 369 

Arminianism vs. the Millennium, 393 

Revival Measures, « 401 

Temperance Song, 405 

Patriotic Song of the Tennesseean, 407 



THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 



INTRODUCTION. 



I stood on the bank of the Mississippi, and gazed 
upon the rush of its mighty stream. Wave pressed 
on wave ; and the broad tide, with a force that no 
earthly power could withstand, swept onward to the 
ocean. " Great river ! " I exclaimed, " hast thou rolled 
on thus from age to age ? Hast thou maintained this 
majestic march through the lapse of more than fifty 
centuries? Then what is the history of this immense 
country on thy borders ? What people gazed upon thy 
stream three thousand years ago? Were there then 
intellectual beings here, to adore that mighty God who 
dug thy deep channel, and spread out at thy side these 
broad, fertile plains, and covered thee with the bright 
blue heaven ? " Such were the questions that arose in 
my mind : but there was none to answer. I looked 
back on the past history of the west. But, beyond 
the period of sixty or seventy years, there sets in a 
thick, impenetrable darkness — "even darkness which 
may be felt ; " and all is, to us, buried in the gulf of 
hopeless oblivion. Events that transpired then, how- 
ever interesting they may have been, are irrecoverably 
lost : no effort of ours can call them back, or secure 
for them a record on the pages of memory. 

Another question arose : Will the man who stands 



INTRODUCTION. 



where I stand now, a hundred or a thousand years 
hence, experience the same desire to know the early- 
history of the mighty west, of Avhich I now am con- 
scious ? The answer is clear : He will. Then I am 
resolved to "gather up the fragments," not already 
lost, of the history of the west, and preserve them, — 

" That ages yet unborn may read, 
And trust and praise the Lord." 

The west is, as yet, only an infant. But this infant 
possesses the elements of a fearful and stupendous 
growth. Ere long, the inhabitants of the world will 
open their eyes, and with astonishment behold a giant 
standing here. His height will be terrible, and his 
power such, that earth's foundations will bend beneath 
his footsteps; and at the lifting of his hand distant 
nations will tremble. 

Yes, the teeming millions of a crowded population 
will soon spread over this wide and wonderful region. 
The banks of these long rivers will be studded with 
" cloud-capt towers and gorgeous palaces ; " and reli- 
gion, and education, and science, and cultivated society 
will be here, to an extent that earth has not witnessed 
in ages that are gone. In that day, the mighty popula- 
tion of the west will eagerly inquire after the early 
history of their country. 

I have determined, therefore, to gather up the facts 
within the period of my own memory, and arrange 
them, and dedicate the record to the generations fol- 
lowing. A larger work, entitled " The Early Religious 
History of the West," which the author has for years 
been preparing, is more particularly referred to, than 
the mere sketches contained in the present volume. 



THE HONEY-BEE. 



THE HONEY-BEE 



How strong is the propensity in man to honor the 
prophet that is dead, while he rejects the prophet that 
is living ! Scribes, Pharisees, and Jewish rulers would 
build the sepulchres of Samuel, Isaiah, and Zachariah ; 
but when Jesus Christ, the living Prophet, appeared, 
preaching the same truths, they cried out, " Away with 
him from the earth ! Crucify him ! crucify him ! " 

Men admire and eulogize those very attributes in the 
dead prophet which they cannot bear in the prophet 
that is living. Go to any revival-fighting Presbyterian 
minister in the w^est or south. He will expatiate with 
much enthusiasm on the preaching of John Knox, when 
such multitudes, in one generation, were turned from 
darkness to light. He will hastily search his library 
for a printed account of that remarkable sermon of 
Livingston, in Scotland, on the Monday of a sacra- 
mental meeting, under which five hundred souls were 
converted to God. He will speak, with great interest 
and earnestness, of the blessed results that followed the 
preaching of Samuel Davies in Virginia, and James 
Waddell, afterwards known far and wide as the Blind 
Preacher mentioned by Wirt in his " British Spy." 
These preachers and their hearers are gone from earth. 

" Their hatred and their love is lost, 
Their envy buried in the dust ; 
They have no share in all that's done 
Beneath the circuit of the sun." 



10 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

But speak to this same man of a revival in the present 
age. "Ah, there were sad indiscretions!" "animal 
excitement ! " " spasmodic movements ! " &c. That is 
it : build the sepulchre of the prophet that is dead, and 
scowl at the prophet that is living. Eulogize Elisha 
and Daniel, but stone Stephen to death, and crucify 
his Lord and Master. 

In like manner, we are ready to acknowledge a 
providence of God toward those who are dead and 
gone, which we are slow to admit in reference to those 
now living. We can believe that God sent against 
Pharaoh " swarms of flies," armies of frogs, and le- 
gions of locusts. These were judgments from God. 
His hand was made bare. We see it at once, and 
confess it without difficulty ; for these things took 
place above three thousand years ago. We can be- 
lieve that God brought the quails around the camp of 
the Israelites as they journeyed through the wilderness, 
and that he sent hornets before them to drive out the 
Canaanite, the Hittite, and the Hivite, (Ex. xxiii. 28,) 
for these things, also, were done in a remote age of the 
world. But are we willing to believe that there are, at 
this hour, around the church and around the individual 
saint, the same careful, constant, almighty guardianship 
and direction that there were in the days of Moses, of 
Joseph, and of Abraham? Are we willing to believe 
that now the sparrow does not fall to the ground with- 
out the hand of God ? and that the very hairs of our 
heads are all numbered? To such questions, many 
will give the practical answer, " No!" 

This infidelity concerning the presence and provi- 
dence of God in our own day, is the crying sin of the 
present age. The High and Holy One is the same from 



THE HONEY-BEE. 11 

everlasting to everlasting. With him there is no "vari- 
ableness, or shadow of turning." And had we an 
inspired account of what God is doing now in behalf 
of his redeemed people, we should find that for the 
good of each believer the hand of the Lord is stretched 
out still, and that his providence has all the divine 
minuteness and particularity, at this moment, which it 
possessed when Noah, Daniel, and Job stood before 
him. 

Modern unbelief will scarcely scruple to admit that 
God may have controlled the affairs of this world long, 
long ago ; but now, in this enlightened age, it is fanat- 
icism to believe in a particular, all-directing providence. 
Now, all events are the sport of blind chance, contin- 
gency, accident. 

I am about to state a well-authenticated fact in the 
early history of the western country. The honey-bee, 
with strict, constant, and invariable uniformity, goes in 
front of the Christian population, as the wave of emigra- 
tion rolls westward. No one fact is more unquestionably 
established than this, in the experience and observation 
of frontier western men. Ten, twenty, thirty miles in 
advance of the white settlements, the honey-bee swarms 
in every forest, filling with delicious honey the hollows 
in the trees, and often the caverns, crevices, and open- 
ings in the rocks. Long has it been the custom, with 
those near our western border, to take their wagons, in 
the latter part of the summer, and go a few miles in 
advance of the population, and load them with honey. 
But go two hundred miles into the Indian country, and 
there has not been a honey-bee there in two thousand 
years — never, within the memory of the present race 
of Indians. The Indians regard the bee as the certain 



12 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

forerunner of the white men. The moment they find 
that the bee has penetrated their country, they begin to 
lament and wail — " The white man is coming! We 
must give up the country! " 

I will state another fact. The quail follows the white 
man. Quails, by hundreds and by thousands, come 
flocking around the tent, the camp, or the cabin of the 
white man as he journeys west. But go one hundred 
miles into the Indian territory, no quail has ever been 
seen there since the red man occupied the country. 
How do you account for these facts ? Let me ask, 
how do you account for the hornets going before the 
camp of Israel, to drive out the Canaanite, the Hittite, 
and the Hivite ? How do you account for the quails 
coming round the camp of Israel in such quantities ? 
In both cases we see the hand of God. " The church " 
was with Israel "in the wilderness," (Acts vii. 38,) 
and it was for the sake of the church those wonders 
were done. God now has a church among our western 
population. The ark of his covenant is there, and still 
his hand does wonders for Z ion's sake. 

As the above facts may appear strange to some of 
my readers, I wish here, somewhat at large, to " speak 
what I know, and testify what I have seen." My 
father lived, from my earliest recollection, within a few 
miles of the Tennessee River. South of this river, 
within the bounds of the state of Tennessee, was the 
Indian territory. It was a lovely and inviting country, 
but the Indians positively refused to sell it to the white 
people on any conditions. In this obstinate refusal they 
persisted for more than twenty years ; and the wave 
of American emigration in that direction was checked, 
and stood, like the tide of Jordan in the days of Joshua, 



THE HONEY-BEE. 13 

as if held back by an arm divine. At length the fore- 
runner of the white man passed the barrier, and spread 
among the red people consternation far and wide. I 
remember the morning well, when my father's brother 
called at our dwelling and made the announcement 
" The bees have crossed the Tennessee, and are spread- 
ing among the Indians, who are greatly alarmed, and 
believe that they must now give up their country." 
Few records have been preserved in the west of the 
events of that early day. I cannot, therefore, be exact 
as to dates. But this I remember well — that, shortly 
after the above announcement, the Indians left the 
country, and the beautiful land which they had held 
so long was covered with a numerous and enterprising 
white population. 

Many years ago, I was informed, by what I then con- 
sidered good authority, that when the bees first crossed 
the Ohio River, in the neighborhood of where Shawnee- 
town now stands, the old Indian chiefs went through 
the woods wailing and lamenting, " The white man is 
coming ! We must leave the place of our birth, the 
graves of our fathers, and go to the west ! The white 
man is coming ! " 

I distinctly remember the narrative given at my 
father's fireside, by Andrew Jackson, while acting as 
one of the judges of our state, and some time before 
his election to the office of major-general of the militia 
of Tennessee. He told of that memorable mustering 
of the bees at Nashville, which has since been so care- 
fully recorded in Hon. Judge Haywood's " History of 
Tennessee." The period was about the year 1800 or 
1801. Nashville was then a very small village, just 
struggling into existence. On a certain day, swarms 
2 



14 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

of bees began to collect in the garden of Judge 
McNary. Five swarms were there at once — present- 
ly, ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty. They clustered 
together on every shrub in the garden, then on the 
fence that surrounded it, banked up on each side of the 
fence, until barrels, hogsheads, and wagon-loads were 
there. The population became greatly excited. 
They apprehended that this phenomenon must be 
ominous, and multitudes came from far to witness it. 
But, so far as I know, it has remained without explana- 
tion, unless, indeed, the opinion prevalent among the 
pioneer population be taken as such ; to wit, that this 
was the mustering of the armies of the honey-bee, pre- 
paratory to their sallying forth to take possession of the 
mighty plains of the great west ; for as yet the white 
man had only taken possession of portions of Tennes- 
see, Kentucky, and Ohio. 

When the news reached the settlements of the Creole 
French, in Southern Missouri, that the honey-bee had 
appeared at Kaskaskia, in Illinois, a lady inquired of 
her neighbor, " Could we not send over and get a. pair 
of them, and raise bees ? " 

An American female had reached St. Genevieve, on 
the west bank of the Mississippi, somewhat in ad- 
vance of the emigrating multitude. She discovered a 
honey-bee dancing at the window of a house occupied 
by a family of Creole French. " Why, there's a bee," 
said she to the lady of the house. " Ah ! " said the 
lady, " is that the thing that makes the honey ? Well, 
could we not catch it, and tame it, and keep it ? " 

It was stated to me by an old citizen of Missouri, 
that when the first swarm of bees came to St. Louis, 
and settled, in a large mass, on some object in the town, 



THE HONEY-BEE. 15 

several of the primitive population ran to procure straw 
and fire to burn them up, thinking that they were 
wasps, or hornets, or something in that line. But an 
American was providentially there, who remonstrated 
against giving to the strangers a reception so rude and 
inhospitable. He explained something of their nature 
and usefulness, and prevailed on some one to construct 
a hive, and allow the new comers a home in the then 
young metropolis of the mighty west. 

About the month of August, in the year 1840, at 
Plattville, in Wisconsin, I met a Methodist missionary, 
named Cavanaugh, who had been for years employed 
among the Indians up near the mouth of the St. Peter's. 
He told me that the progress of the bees, moving as a 
" pillar of cloud " in front of the white settlements, was 
then an object of troubled apprehension and dread 
among the Indians where he labored. " Old Indian 
chiefs," said he, "will now ask, with trembling 
anxiety, ' How far have the bees got up the Missis- 
sippi?'" In the month of February, 1849, at Co- 
lumbus, in Indiana, I met again this same brother 
Cavanaugh, and inquired, " How is it now with your 
Indians and the bees?" "Ah," said he, "the bees 
have reached those Indians now, and the white emi- 
grant is close upon their trail." 

The following passage is found in the " Report of 
the Exploring Expedition to the Rocky Mountains in 
the Year 1842, by Captain J. C. Fremont," p. 69 : 
" Here, on the summit, where the stillness was absolute, 
unbroken by any sound, and the solitude complete, 
we thought ourselves beyond the regions of animated 
life ; but while we were sitting on the rock, a solitary 
bee came winging his flight from the eastern valley 



16 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

and lit on the knee of one of the men. We pleased 
ourselves with the idea that he was the first of his 
species to cross the mountain barrier — a solitary 
pioneer to foretell the advance of civilization." 

Gregg in his " Commerce of the Prairies," p. 178, 
vol. i., says, " The honey-bee appears to have emi- 
grated exclusively from the east, as its march has been 
observed westward. But none have yet reached this 
portion of the western dominion." And at p. 206, 
vol. ii., he says, " The bee, among western pioneers, is 
the proverbial precursor of the Anglo-American popu- 
lation. In fact, the aborigines of the frontier have 
generally corroborated this notion, for they used to say 
they knew the white man was not far behind when 
the bees appeared among them." 

Many other interesting specifications might be given, 
but my design is not to extend this article beyond a 
reasonable limit. Enough has been said to show that 
this notable fact in the history of western emigration 
is a clear manifestation of the hand of God. And not 
only so, but it is a dispensation of great kindness to 
his people, many of whom are found among the fron- 
tier emigrants. I have seen very pious people sending 
out their children to collect this honey and the honey- 
comb. The comb yielded the beeswax, a valuable 
commodity. The honey also was an important article 
in the commerce of the country. The western rivers 
bore these articles to New Orleans, where they were 
sold or exchanged for the benefit of the families in the 
frontier settlements. Many households were thus 
made comfortable, who, without such a provision in 
divine providence, must have felt the pinchings of 
want. Often has the western minister expatiated on 



THE HONEY-BEE. 17 

these themes. Often has he reminded the people that 
Jehovah is a covenant-keeping God, that he " keepeth 
covenant and mercy with them that love him, to a 
thousand generations ; " that the temporal as well as 
the spiritual wants of his people are the objects of his 
care. And as he scattered the manna over the face of 
the wilderness before his ancient church, so now he 
is mindful of his covenant. He giveth bread to the 
hungry, and the redeemed of the Lord have abundant 
reason to say that his mercy endureth forever. 

There are persons now living in Illinois, in Missouri, 
in Iowa, and in Wisconsin, who arrived there before 
there was a quail in all that country. But soon after 
the Anglo-Americans had pitched their tents in the land, 
the quails came around them by thousands and by tens 
of thousands. Why is this ? From whence do they 
originate ? It is the hand of God. I will mention one 
great purpose that is answered by the quail. It strikes 
dumb the lips of pride. He who wishes not to see the 
hand of God, will say the bees that go before the wave 
of American population proceed from domesticated 
bees among the settlers, although the vastness of their 
multitude, and notable facts like that at Nashville, 
utterly refute the theory. But where the sceptic can 
find even the shadow of an argument against the hand 
of God, he will, like Pharaoh of old, harden his heart. 
But ask him, '-From whence come the quails ? From 
domesticated quails ? He is dumb. The fact is, you 
cannot tame a quail. At least, I have known some 
very thorough experiments, which resulted in total 
failure, and believe that the quail is generally regarded 
as incapable of domestication. Should any one say the 

quails feed on the farmer's grain, — his corn and his 

2* 



18 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

wheat, — and therefore they follow the American 
emigrants, I answer, that this does not touch the mys- 
tery ; because the prairie hen, or American grouse, the 
wild goose, and the crane, are just as fond of corn as 
the quails — perhaps more so. But these birds are all 
over the face of the wilderness, and live independent 
of the cultivated fields of the white man. Yet 
when the farmer comes near their wild abode, and 
ploughs up the earth, and produces his crop of corn, 
you will see the prairie hen, the wild goose, the crane, 
clustering around the corn stacks, and manifesting far 
more greediness for grain than you ever see exhibited 
by the quail. The mystery is not touched. Whence 
comes the quail ? 

Ascertain from whence the hornets came, that went 
before the standard of Israel ; ascertain from whence 
the quails came, that fell around their camp ; and then 
you will have no difficulty in understanding the phe- 
nomena that now precede and accompany the standard 
of Zion, as she lengthens her cords and enlarges her 
boundaries. God's church is in that moving multitude 
which is pressing westward. The ark of his covenant 
is there. And now, as in ancient times, his church 
is "engraven on the palms of his hands." You can 
account for the above-mentioned facts, just as you ac- 
count for the sea giving up its dead at the sound of the 
last trumpet. It is the hand of God. 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 19 



THE GREAT WESTERN REVIVAL 



OF 1800. 



Whoever has carefully examined the history of Israel, 
as detailed in the sacred oracles, may have remarked, 
that very often the prophets endeavored to recall to the 
minds of that people the period and the scenes of their 
first espousal to God. Indeed, there is no narrative 
more calculated to wake up in our own heart the living 
emotions of religion, than the story of our first saving 
acquaintance with Christ. It is profitable to the indi- 
vidual, to the family, and to the church at large, that 
these manifestations of God's power and mercy should 
be told to children, and to children's children. 

In relation to this matter, I have often thought that 
the church of God in the west has reason to adopt the 
language of the Psalmist, " Come and hear, all ye that 
fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my 
soul." " He brought me up out of a horrible pit, out 
of the miry clay^and set my feet upon a rock, and 
established my goings. And he hath put a new song 
in my mouth, even praise unto our God : many shall 
see it and fear, and shall trust in the Lord." 

It is now my purpose to sketch some of the scenes 
in the early history of the church of God in the west. 
Before the close of the revolutionary war, large bodies 
of emigrants had settled in Tennessee and in Kentucky. 



20 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

Many of them were from Virginia, many were from 
Pennsylvania, and many also were from North and South 
Carolina. Quite a large number of these were religious 
men. Extensive and powerful revivals of religion 
had been granted to the American churches, while we 
were yet colonies of Great Britain. In New England, 
Edwards, Bellamy, and their fellows, were the favored 
instruments. In New Jersey, Gilbert and William 
Tennant, and their contemporaries, were greatly blessed. 
In Virginia, Samuel Davies, whose sermons have since 
been so widely circulated, and James Waddell, labored 
with immense success. Among my earliest recollec- 
tions are the glowing descriptions which old persons, 
then living in my father's neighborhood, would give 
of the preaching of this James Waddell. There was 
a kindling animation in the aged countenance, and 
their eyes would fill with tears, at the mention of his 
name. He is the Blind Preacher so eloquently described 
by Hon. William Wirt in his "British Spy." When 
Wirt saw him, he was old, and frail, and blind ; yet 
evidently the wreck of a superior man. Long before 
this period, he had been a messenger of mercy to mul- 
titudes of the perishing ; and the gospel, through his 
instrumentality, had been to many glad tidings of great 
joy. It should be mentioned further, that in the Caro- 
linas also, and in Georgia, the gospel, at this time, had 
made great progress. Georgia was one of the first 
points in America where George Whitefield preached ; 
and from thence to the most northern colony he found 
the fields white to the harvest. Indeed, there were 
such religious prospects in our country before the 
revolution, that Jonathan Edwards entertained and 
published the opinion that the millennium, or latter 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 21 

day glory, would first shed its light on the souls of 
men in America. 

Now, such was the condition of the American 
church, when that wave of population, which had risen 
on the sea-shore, and rolled abroad over the Atlantic 
regions, began to ripple over the comb of the Alle- 
ghany, and rush down and spread itself over the fertile 
plains of the west. Many of the first emigrants from 
Pennsylvania, Virginia, and the Carolinas, carried their 
religion with them. And it seems that, at that early 
period, religion could better "bear transportation," 
than at a later day. 

War has almost invariably a demoralizing tendency ; 
and the war of our revolution, however necessary and 
important in its connection, was not exempt from this 
unhappy concomitant. But, perhaps, in no other part 
of our country were the sad results of war realized, 
at that time, to the same extent as in the new settle- 
ments of the west. There the supply of Bibles and 
pastors^ was limited. Religious privileges were few. 
And many of the population were as sheep having no 
shepherd. There was less, therefore, to counteract 
the evils incident to war than in other sections of our 
land. 

Above all this, it must be observed, that when peace 
was concluded with Great Britain in the year 1783, 
and other citizens could return to the pursuits of peace- 
ful life, and the enjoyment of gospel ordinances, the 
frontier population of the west were embroiled with 
hostile Indians for the space of half a generation. 
During this period of fierce conflict between the white 
and the red man, those Indian tribes that hung around 
our western border produced not a few "men of 
renown." 



22 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

Headed by some of these daring chiefs, a strong 
band of Indians would make a sudden incursion into 
the white settlements, and murder, burn, rob, and perpe- 
trate cruelty in the most frightful and barbarous forms. 
The scalping-knife was red with the blood of the 
mother, the tomahawk was buried in the brain of the 
helpless child ! Until, terrified with the apprehension 
of the vengeance they had provoked, the Indians would 
fly with the utmost precipitation. Then, for ten or 
fifteen miles around, the white population was aroused, 
and the Indians were pursued not only with retaliating, 
but with exterminating vengeance. Who will wonder, 
that, when seventeen years of such life as this came 
right in after the seven years of the revolutionary war, 
the Sabbath and sacred things were in a great measure 
forgotten or trodden down ? A generation sprang up, 
in which dexterity and prowess in Indian warfare were 
the great objects of ambition, and, indeed, the high road 
to fame. And in the mean while, the light of religion, 
carried to the west at the time of its first settlement, 
surrounded long by adverse influences, shone but 
faintly, while iniquity abounded and waxed bold. 

It is necessary here to pause and notice the state of 
things in Em-ope at this period. Our country, when 
young, was far more influenced by Europe than she is 
now. The year 1728 is memorable as the great era 
of infidelity in Europe. Voltaire formed, about this 
period, his great plan for destroying the Christian 
religion. I quote the language of Dr. Dwight, of Yale 
College. This eminent writer observes that Voltaire, 
for the purpose of blotting out Christianity, " engaged, 
at several succeeding periods, a number of men, distin- 
guished for power, talents, reputation, and influence — 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 23 

all deadly enemies to the gospel, atheists, men of profli- 
gate principles and profligate lives. This design he 
pursued with unabated zeal fifty years ; and was 
seconded by his associates with an ardor and industry 
scarcely inferior to his own. In consequence of their 
united labors, and of the labors of others, from time to 
time combined with them, they ultimately spread 
the design throughout a great part of Europe; and 
embarked in it individuals, at little distances, over 
almost the whole of that continent. Their adherents 
inserted themselves into every place, office, and employ- 
ment, in which their agency might become efficacious, 
and which furnished an opportunity of spreading their 
corruptions. They were found in every literary insti- 
tution, from the abecedarian school to the academy 
of sciences ; and in every civil office, from that of the 
bailiff to that of the monarch. They swarmed in the 
palace ; they haunted the church. Wherever mischief 
could be done, they were found ; and wherever they 
were found, mischief was extensively done. Of books 
they controlled the publication, the sale, and the char- 
acter. An immense number they formed ; an immense 
number they forged ; prefixed to them the names of 
reputable writers, and sent them into the world, to be 
sold for a song ; and when that could not be done, to 
be given away. Within a period shorter than could 
have been imagined, they possessed themselves, to a 
great extent, of a control, nearly absolute, of the literary, 
religious, and political state of Europe. 

M With these advantages in their hands, it will easily 
be believed, that they left no instrument unemployed, 
and no measure untried, to accomplish then own malig- 
nant purposes. With a diligence, courage, constancy, 



24 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

activity, and perseverance, which might rival the efforts 
of demons themselves, they penetrated into every 
corner of human society. Scarcely a man, woman, or 
child was left unassailed, wherever there was a single 
hope that the attack might be successful. Books 
were written and published, in innumerable multitudes, 
in which infidelity was brought down to the level 
of peasants, and' even of children, and poured with 
immense assiduity into the cottage and the school. 
Others, of a superior kind, crept into the shop and the 
farm-house ; and others, of a still higher class, found 
their way to the drawing-room, the university, and the 
palace. The business of all men who were of any 
importance, and the education of the children of all 
such men, were, as far as possible, engrossed, or at least 
influenced, by these banditti of the moral world ; and 
the hearts of those who had no importance but in their 
numbers and physical strength. A sensual, profligate 
nobility, and princes, if possible, still more sensual and 
profligate, easily yielded themselves and their children 
into the hands of these minions of corruption. Too 
ignorant, too enervated, or too indolent, to understand, 
or even to inquire that they might understand, the ten- 
dency of all these efforts, they marched quietly on to 
the gulf of ruin, which was already open to receive 
them. With these was combined a priesthood, which, 
in all its dignified ranks, was still mOre putrid; and 
which eagerly yielded up the surplice arid the lawn, 
the desk and the altar, to destroy that Bible which 
they had vowed to defend as well as to preach, and 
to renew the crucifixion of that Redeemer whom they 
had sworn to worship. By these agents, and these 
efforts, the plague was spread with rapidity, and to an 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 25 

extent which astonished heaven and earth ; and life 
went out, not in solitary cases, but by a universal 
extinction. 

" While these measures were thus going on, with a 
success scarcely interrupted, Dr. Adam Weishaupt, 
professor of the canon law in the university of Ingold- 
stadt, a city of Bavaria, a man of no contemptible 
talents, but of immense turpitude, and a Jesuit, estab- 
lished the society of Illuminees. Into this establishment 
he brought all the systematized iniquity of his brother- 
hood — distinguished beyond every other class of men 
for cunning, mischief, an absolute destitution of con- 
science, an absolute disregard of all the interests of 
man, and a torpid insensibility to moral obligation. 
No fraternity, for so long a time, or to so great an 
extent, united within its pale such a mass of talents, 
or employed in its service such a succession of vigorous 
efforts. The serpentine system of this order Weis- 
haupt perfectly understood. The great design of the 
Jesuits had always been to engross the power and influ- 
ence of Europe, and to regulate all its important affairs. 
The system of measures which they had adopted for 
this end, was superior to every preceding scheme of 
human policy. To this design Weishaupt, who was 
more absolutely an atheist than Yoltaire, and as cor- 
dially wished for the ruin of Christianity, superadded 
a general intention of destroying the moral character 
of man. The system of policy adopted by the Jesuits 
was, therefore, exactly fitted to his purpose ; for the 
design, with this superaddition, was exactly the same. 

" With these advantageous preparations, he boldly 
undertook this work of destruction, and laid the axe 
at the root of all moral principle, and the sense of all 
3 



26 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

moral obligation, by establishing a few fundamental 
doctrines, which were amply sufficient for this purpose. 
These were, that God is nothing ; that government is 
a curse, and authority a usurpation ; that civil society 
is the only apostasy of man ; that the possession of 
property is robbery ; that chastity and natural affection 
are mere prejudices ; and that adultery, assassination, 
poisoning, and other crimes of a similar nature, are 
lawful, and even virtuous. Under these circumstances 
were founded the societies of Illuminism. They 
spread, of course, with a rapidity which nothing but 
fact could have induced any sober mind to believe. 
Before the year 1786, they were established in great 
numbers throughout Germany, in Sweden, Russia, 
Poland, Austria, Holland, France, Switzerland, Italy, 
England, Scotland, and even in America. In all these 
was taught the grand and sweeping principle of corrup- 
tion, that the end sanctions the means — a principle 
which, if every where adopted, would overturn the 
universe. 

" The design of the founder and his coadjutors was 
nothing less than to engross the empire of the world, 
and to place mankind beneath the feet of himself and 
his successors. 

" Voltaire died in the year following the establish- 
ment of Illuminism. His disciples, with one heart 
and one voice, united in its interests, and, finding a 
more absolute system of corruption than themselves had 
been able to form, entered eagerly into all its plans and 
purposes. Thenceforward, therefore, all the legions of 
infidelity are to be considered as embarked in a single 
bottom ; and as cruising together against order, peace, 
and virtue, on a voyage of rapine and blood. 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 27 

" The French revolution burst upon mankind at 
this moment. Here was opened an ample field for the 
labors of these abandoned men in the work of pollution 
and death. There is no small reason to believe, that 
every individual Illuminee, and almost, if not quite, 
every infidel, on the continent of Europe, lent his 
labors when he could — and his wishes when he could 
not — for the advancement of the sins and the miseries 
which attended this unexampled corruption. Had not 
God taken the wise in their own craftiness, and caused 
the wicked to fall into the pit which they digged, and 
into the snares which their hands had set, it is impos- 
sible to conjecture the extent to which they would 
have carried their devastation of human happiness. 
But, like the profligate rulers of Israel, those who 
succeeded regularly destroyed their predecessors. 

"Between ninety and one hundred of those who 
were leaders in this mighty work of destruction, fell by 
the hand of violence. Enemies to all men, they were, 
of course, enemies to each other. Butchers of the 
human race, they soon whetted the knife for each 
other's throats ; and the tremendous Being who rules 
the universe, whose existence they had denied in a 
solemn act of legislation, whose perfections they had 
made the butt of public scorn and private insult, whose 
Son they had crucified afresh, and whose word they 
had burnt by the hands of the common hangman, 
swept them all, by the hand of violence, into an un- 
timely grave. The tale made every ear which heard 
it tingle, and every heart chill with horror. It was, in 
the language of Ossian, "the song of death." It was 
like the reign of the plague in a populous city. Knell 
tolled upon knell ; hearse followed hearse ; and coffin 



28 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

rumbled after coffin ; without a mourner to shed a tear 
upon the corpse, or a solitary attendant to mark the 
place of the grave. From one new moon to another, 
and from one Sabbath to another, the world went forth, 
and looked after the carcasses of the men who trans- 
gressed against God j and they were an abhorring unto 
all flesh." 

Our revolutionary war closed about the time when 
this French infidelity was at its height, and before its 
frightful results had been fully disclosed. 

The government of France had taken part with us 
in our struggle against England. The noble-hearted 
Lafayette had embarked in our cause with a generous 
enthusiasm that deeply affected the American people. 
Other distinguished Frenchmen had been our friends. 
Now, it was at this juncture, when we were disposed 
to give the warmest welcome to whatever came from 
France, that a deep, dark tide of that horrible infidelity 
ploughed its way, like the Gulf Stream through the 
Atlantic, and heaved its huge surges on the Ameri- 
can shore. The valleys were flooded ; the swelling 
waves rose and buried the hills ; upward the awful 
deluge prevailed, and rolled its black billows above the 
tops of the tallest mountains. In the new settlements 
of the west the desolation was dreadful. There were 
few that escaped the deadly inundation. So rare 
were religious privileges, that it was extremely difficult 
to find materials sufficient to construct an ark, in which 
one entire family might be saved. It was proclaimed 
over all the land, that France — enlightened, scientific, 
fashionable France — had renounced the gospel, had 
burned the Bible in the streets of Paris by the hands 
of the common hangman, and had inscribed in broad 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 29 

characters, over the entrance into the common burying- 
ground, that " death is an eternal sleep." 

And moreover it was confidently asserted, by those 
who had opportunity to know, that Thomas Jefferson, 
regarded in the west as a great political luminary, had 
rejected the gospel, and adopted the infidelity of France j 
that most of our enlightened statesmen were follow- 
ing his example. Jefferson, as a politician, had, at that 
period, immense popularity ; and the influence of his 
name, when in unison with the downward current of 
depravity, was mighty. 

Such was the attitude of the west, in relation to 
religion and religious privileges, from the year 1783 till 
1800 — harassed by almost incessant Indian wars, 
impelled in the broad road by the folly and wickedness 
bound up in its own heart, and bewitched and bewil- 
dered by the abominable example of those whose 
names possessed fascination, because they were in- 
scribed on the rolls of fame. 

In the midst of this period of spiritual darkness, 
Paine 's " Age of Reason " came forth. Paine was 
favorably known to the American people as a political 
writer during the conflict of the revolution. His 
works entitled " Common Sense," and " The Rights 
of Man," had secured for him a wide-spread reputation. 
And in the minds of the multitude, he was closely 
identified with the cause of American freedom. Rarely, 
in his assaults on the church of God, has that " arch- 
angel ruined," whose name is called Apollyon, been 
able to occupy such vantage-ground. The appeal to 
the American people was this : " You have thrown off 
allegiance to the British king ; now throw off the yoke 
of superstition, and be freemen indeed." Paine scoffed 
3* 



30 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

at all that was sacred in religion — profanely mocked 
and blasphemed the ordinances of God. O, it was a 
tremendous eruption of the bottomless pit ! The shock 
had well nigh thrown down the hope of the church. 
The smoke that ascended filled all the air with black- 
ness, and eclipsed the sun ; while ashes, cinders, and 
lava came down, threatening to bury every vestige of 
good that yet remained in society. 

In a letter to the editors of " The New York Maga- 
zine," the venerable Gideon Blackburn says, " About 
the years ; 98 and '99, the darkness was thick, like that 
in Egypt, — a darkness which might 'be felt.' The 
few pious in the land were ready to cry out, ' Has God 
forgotten to be gracious ? Are his mercies clean gone ? 
Will he be favorable no more ? ' " 

About this period, pious men in the west began to 
call on the name of the Lord with that earnestness and 
importunity which takes no denial. In Logan county, 
Kentucky, Rev. James McGready and some Christian 
people appointed seasons of special prayer. They also 
set apart days of fasting and humiliation before God. 

The great revival of 1800, like that granted to the 
disciples on the day of Pentecost, was preceded by 
a season of deep humiliation and earnest prayer to 
God. 

THE REVIVAL. 

The first conclusive proofs that the Lord had heard 
prayer, and visited his people, were received in Logan 
county, Kentucky. The work began " at the house 
of God." It was according to the prayer of the 
Psalmist : " Restore unto me the joys of thy salva- 
tion, and uphold me with thy free spirit ; then will I 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 31 

teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be con- 
verted unto thee." The people of God were brought 
near to him. The preaching of the gospel and the 
ordinances of the Lord's house were to them the bread 
and the water of life. And while they admired the 
freeness, the fulness, and the firmness of God's cove- 
nant mercy, the very dust and ruins of Zion were 
precious in their eyes, and believing prayer in her 
behalf went up as a " cloud of incense " before God. 
Presently an awful solemnity took hold of the public 
mind. Persons hitherto careless nocked, in great 
numbers, to the place of worship. The power of 
preaching was greatly increased. God was " fearful in 
his praises." And in prayer, Christians were enabled 
to " come boldly to a throne of grace." 

I design to give, presently, Dr. Baxter's account of 
these seasons, written at the time ; but first I wish to 
lay before the reader some particulars which are 
imprinted on my own memory, and have remained 
most distinct and clear, through all the years that have 
intervened. The " little cloud " which had begun to 
pour out its blessing on the churches in Logan county, 
Kentucky, soon spread, like that in Elijah's day, until 
it covered the face of heaven. My father's residence 
was then in East Tennessee, some two hundred and 
fifty miles distant from the point where the revival 
first appeared ; but brief was the time that elapsed until 
it was in the midst of our population. 

1. A deep solemnity pervaded the entire community, 
filling the minds of old and young with awe and 
reverence in view of God and his holy gospel. I 
remember, with a distinctness that is marvellous to 
myself, the unparalleled impression in our neighbor- 



32 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

hood. We had assembled in the house of worship. 
Each man and woman seemed to realize the sentiment 
of the patriarch, " Surely the Lord is in this place." 
Rev. Mr. Dobbins, then of North Carolina, afterwards 
well known in Ohio, preached a sermon. The atten- 
tion was profound. During the sermon, two young 
men of respectable families, well known in the congre- 
gation, began to tremble in their seats ; they were 
perfectly silent, but their trembling was visible to all 
that were in the house ; the people felt that the great 
Master of assemblies was among them. They knew 
that this was that mighty power of God, of which 
they had heard among the churches in Kentucky. 
How much a young mind may have erred in its esti- 
mate, I cannot say. But it then seemed to me, that 
the appearance of the forerunner of the final Judge, 
approaching our earth with the trump of God, could 
scarcely have added to the awfulness of the solemnity. 
Stout, stubborn sinners, who before had blasphemed 
God and scoffed at sacred things, were struck down as 
literally as Saul of Tarsus, on his way to Damascus. 
But this brings me to another branch of the subject j 
that is, — 

2. The falling down. This was one of the forms 
of that bodily exercise, as it was then called, which 
accompanied this remarkable work. It must be borne 
in mind that the country had been overrun by a bold, 
blaspheming infidelity, which scowled at sacred things, 
and attempted to browbeat and bear down all that 
was called by the name of the Lord Jesus. Thomas 
Mornt, Esq., now of Springfield, Illinois, assured me, 
that in the part of Kentucky where his people then 
lived, " it was believed that, at the commencement of 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 33 

the year 1800, at least one half of the men and women 
were the avowed disciples of Thomas Paine." I 
mentioned this statement to the aged and venerable 
Abraham McElroy, of Northern Missouri. His reply 
was this : "Say not one half ; say nine tenths ; for thus 
it was in the region of Lebanon, Kentucky, where 
I then resided; and I myself was among the num- 
ber." 

Such is a sample of western society at the commence- 
ment of that revival. The awful solemnity which 
now arrested the public mind was accompanied with 
bodily affections as notable and singular as those of 
Saul on his way to Damascus. Bold, brazen-fronted 
blasphemers were literally cut down by the " sword 
of the Spirit." " The word of God was quick and 
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, 
piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and 
spirit, and of the joints and marrow." Under the 
preaching of the gospel, men would drop to the ground, 
as suddenly as if they had been smitten by the light- 
ning of heaven. Among these were many persons in 
the prime of life — strong men ; business men ; men 
whom no human being ever thought of charging with 
enthusiasm. Here was the avowed infidel, prostrate on 
the ground, confessing and lamenting his folly before 
God. There was the notorious profligate, crying for 
mercy. Here was the celebrated frontier warrior, 
famous for his dexterity and prowess during the Indian 
troubles ; and now, " behold, he prayeth ! " And there 
was the humbled politician, seeking an inheritance 
more durable than earthly fame. The language em- 
ployed at that time, by the plain western people, in 
describing the results of these meetings, was, that so 



34 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

many "fell." At one meeting, "fifty fell;" at 
another, " seventy-five ; " again, at another, " one 
hundred and twenty fell." Dr. Baxter speaks of a 
meeting, at which many thousands attended, where 
" three hundred fell." He mentions another at which 
" five hundred fell." At the great meeting at " Cane- 
ridge," which continued for six days, and at which it 
was believed there were twenty thousand people, it 
was said that not less than " one thousand fell." 
Those who fell would generally lie perfectly quiet for 
a considerable time ; in some instances, an hour ; in 
some, much longer ; in others, not so long. There 
were cases, though of comparatively rare occurrence, in 
which persons lay for the space of twelve or twenty- 
four hours. 

From their own statements, I learned that those who 
lay in that quiet state were entirely sensible of all that 
was passing around them, while, at the same time, 
their views on divine subjects were wonderfully clear 
and impressive. Their minds were directed to the 
holiness and grandeur of God ; the purity and sacred- 
ness of his law ; the guilt and hatefulness of sin ; the 
great love of God in giving his Son to redeem lost 
man ; the beauty and glory of Christ as Mediator ; the 
worth of the soul ; the preciousness of the gospel ; the 
value of time ; the brevity of life ; the solemnity of 
death, of judgment, and of eternity. 

Christ, the divine Savior, was exalted and extolled 
in the preaching, the praying, and the praising of the 
church, in that day. Perhaps I cannot better present 
this feature of that work, than by inserting a popular 
hymn, then in very general use, which was a favorite 
with many thousands. O, the multitude of voices, 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 35 

now silent in death, which once sent up these strains 
to the praise of the blessed God ! 

" Thy mercy, my God, is the theme of my song, 
The joy of my heart, and the boast of my tongue : 
Thy free grace alone, from the first to the last, 
Hath won my affection, and bound my soul fast. 

" Without thy sweet mercy, I could not live here ; 
Sin soon would reduce me to utter despair ; 
But through thy free goodness my spirits revive, 
And He that first made me still keeps me alive. 

" Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart, 
Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart. 
Dissolved by thy goodness, I fall to the ground, 
And weep to the praise of the mercy I've found. 

" The door of thy mercy stands open all day 
To the poor and the needy, who knock by the way ; 
No sinner shall ever be empty sent back, 
Who comes seeking mercy for Jesus's sake. 

" Thy mercy in Jesus exempts me from hell; 
Its glories I'll sing, and its wonders I'll tell : 
'Twas Jesus, my Friend, when he hung on the tree, 
Who opened the channel of mercy for me. 

" Great Father of mercies, thy goodness I own, 
And the covenant love of thy crucified Son : 
All praise to the Spirit, whose witness divine 
Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine." 

3. A spirit of prayer was granted to these converts 
that was truly marvellous. Men who had never before 
prayed in public, and from the careless tenor of whose 
lives it might be fairly inferred that they had rarely, if 
ever, prayed in secret, would now pour forth their sup- 
plications with a liberty and a propriety of expression 
that utterly astonished their former acquaintances. 



36 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

They would quote Scripture, in their addresses to the 
Deity, with a pertinence and an accuracy that could only 
be accounted for on the principle that " their hearts 
were lifted up in the ways of the Lord," and that all 
the powers of their mind were quickened by the divine 
Spirit. The compass of their petitions, and the force 
of their language, were wonderful. This extraordinary 
gift in prayer evidently accompanied that bodily exer- 
cise. Even children but five or six years old had 
this power in prayer, and those clear, affecting views 
of divine truth, when they were the subjects of that 
singular dispensation. A worthy Presbyterian elder, 
now a citizen, of Springfield, mentioned to me the 
case of a little girl, at the meeting at Caneridge : 
her exact age he did not know, but she was so small 
that her father carried her about in his arms. She 
spoke of Christ in a manner that melted down all who 
heard her. She talked of his everlasting love, that 
brought him to earth to save lost men ; the deep 
sorrows he bore for our sakes. She spoke of the 
scenes in Gethsemane and on Calvary, the grave in 
which Christ was laid, his resurrection, his ascension, 
his intercession, and the solemnities of his second 
coming. Careless and hard-hearted sinners gathered 
around, some of them old in sin, some who had been 
avowed unbelievers ; but all within the hearing of her 
voice were overcome and brought to tears by the 
affecting truths which she uttered. 

I wish to record another fact. Of the professors of 
religion who were in the country when this revival- 
began, perhaps one half became the subjects of this 
bodily exercise ; that is, they either fell, or were affected 
in some other way. These were invariably baptized 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 37 

with that spirit of prayer. In many cases, the bodily 
exercise did not continue long. But that marvellous 
power of prayer was lasting as life. I could mention 
names in abundance to substantiate this fact. I com- 
menced preaching on the 15th of December, 1815. I 
lived and labored in the ministry until 1830, on the 
ground where this work had prevailed with power and 
great glory. The meridian splendor of this revival 
was from the year 1800 to 1805, though it continued, 
in many places, for several years longer. Now, I can 
name men, with whom I was well acquainted during 
the first fifteen years of my ministry, — which reaches a 
period thirty years distant from the commencement of 
this wonderful work of God, — men of humble preten- 
sions, ordinary capacity and acquirements, who had 
been church members before, but were now blessed in 
this revival, who, when they engaged in prayer, would 
at once rise above and beyond themselves ; yes, above 
and beyond all that I ever heard, whether elder, dea- 
con, or minister, who had not been baptized with the 
spirit and power of that memorable divine visitation. 
And I. state this, while I tell the reader that I was 
not myself a subject of that great work. My father, 
my mother, and my eldest sister were ; but I never had 
any hope of conversion during that season of mercy. 
Yet its leading facts are indelibly imprinted on the 
tablet of my memory ; and when I speak of it, "I 
speak what I know, and testify what I have seen." 
One fact more. This extraordinary power in prayer 
continued with those persons through their life. Many 
of them are now gone. Some, however, continue to 
this day. And the man who has been acquainted with 
that strain or manner of prayer, will know it in a 
4 



38 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

moment, whenever or wherever he may have the op- 
portunity to hear it again. 

The God of the Bible is the God of providence. 
And there is often an affecting analogy between facts 
which we now observe, and notable facts in the early 
history of the church, as recorded in the sacred book. 
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, after that 
wonderful interview with God, his face shined in a 
manner that was marvellous, and it continued thus to 
shine till the day of his death. I have thought of this, 
when meditating on the unquestionable fact, that those 
who were brought so near to God in this great revival 
of 1800, and had granted to them such clear vision of 
Jehovah's holy character, and of that Mediator whose 
name is " Wonderful," and whose death purchased 
redemption for men, had a striking peculiarity in- 
stamped on their prayers, which continued through all 
the remaining part of their earthly pilgrimage. 

The following letter from Dr. Baxter, written at 
that day, is exceedingly valuable. I give it to the 
reader, as it contains a picture of the times drawn by 
the hand of a master. Through the entire prime of 
his life, the writer ranked among the very first minis- 
ters in the Presbyterian church. For many years, he 
was president of Washington College, at Lexington ; 
and at the time of his death, he was professor of 
theology in the Union Theological Seminary, Virginia. 

Letter from the Rev. George Baxter to the Rev. A. Alexander, dated 
Washington Academy, Virginia, January 1, 1802. 

" Rev. and Dear Sir, — 

" I now sit down, agreeably to promise, to give 
you some account of the revival of religion in the 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 



state of Kentucky. You have, no doubt, heard already 
of the Green River and Cumberland revivals. I will 
just observe, that the last summer is the fourth since 
the revival commenced in those places ; and that it 
has been more remarkable than any of the preceding, 
not only for lively and fervent devotion among Chris- 
tians, but also for awakenings and conversions among 
the careless ; and it is worthy of notice, that very few 
instances of apostasy have hitherto appeared. As I 
was not myself in the Cumberland country, all I can 
say about it is from the testimony of others ; but I was 
uniformly told by those who had been there, that their 
religious assemblies were more solemn, and the appear- 
ance of the work much greater, than what had been 
in Kentucky : any enthusiastic symptoms which might 
at first have attended the revival had greatly subsided, 
whilst the serious concern and engagedness of the 
people were visibly increased. 

" In the older settlement of Kentucky, the revival 
made its first appearance among the Presbyterians, last 
spring. The whole of that country, about a year be- 
fore, was remarkable for vice and dissipation; and I 
have been credibly informed that a decided majority of 
the people were professed infidels. 

" During the last winter, appearances were favorable 
among Baptists, and great numbers were added to 
their churches. Early in the spring, the ministrations 
of the Presbyterian clergy began to be better attended 
than they had been for many years before ; their wor- 
shipping assemblies became more solemn ; and the 
people, after they were dismissed, showed a strange 
reluctance at leaving the place : they generally con- 
tinued some time in the meeting-houses, in singing or 
in religious conversation. 



40 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

" Perhaps about the last of May or the first of June, 
the awakening became general, in some congregations, 
and spread through the country in every direction, with 
amazing rapidity. I left that country about the first 
of November, at which time this revival, in connection 
with the one in Cumberland, had covered the whole 
state, excepting a small settlement which borders on 
the waters of Green River, in which no Presbyterian 
ministers are settled, and I believe very few of any 
denomination. The power with which this revival has 
spread, and its influence in moralizing the people, are 
difficult for you to conceive, and more difficult for me to 
describe. I had heard many accounts, and seen many 
letters, respecting it, before I went to that country ; but 
my expectations, though greatly raised, were much 
below the reality of the work. 

" The congregations, when engaged in worship, 
presented scenes of solemnity superior to what I had 
ever seen before ; and in private houses it was no un- 
common thing to hear parents relate to strangers the 
wonderful things which God had done in their neigh- 
borhoods, whilst a large circle of young people would 
be in tears. On my way to Kentucky, I was told by 
settlers on the road, that the character of Kentucky 
travellers was entirely changed, and that they were 
now as distinguished for sobriety as they had formerly 
been for dissoluteness ; and, indeed, I found Kentucky 
the most moral place I had ever been in : a profane 
expression was hardly heard, a religious one seemed to 
pervade the country, and some deistical characters had 
confessed that, from whatever cause the revival might 
originate, it certainly made the people better. 

" Its influence was not less visible in promoting a 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 41 

friendly temper : nothing could appear more amiable 
than that undissembled benevolence which governs the 
subjects of this work. I have often wished that the 
mere politician or Deist could observe with impartiality 
their peaceful and amicable spirit. He would certainly 
see that nothing could equal the religion of Jesus for 
promoting even the temporal happiness of society. 
Some neighborhoods, visited by the revival, had been 
formerly notorious for private animosities ; and many 
petty lawsuits had commenced on that ground. When 
the parties in these quarrels were impressed with 
religion, the first thing was to send for their antagonists ; 
and it was often very affecting to see their meeting : 
both had seen their faults, and both contended that 
they ought to make concessions ; till at last they were 
obliged to. request each other to forbear all mention of 
the past, and to act as friends and brothers for the 
future. 

" Now, sir, let modern philosophists talk of reforming 
the world by banishing Christianity, and introducing 
their licentious systems ; the blessed gospel of our God 
and Savior is showing what it can do. Some circum- 
stances have concurred to distinguish the Kentucky 
revival from most others of which we have had any 
account ; I mean the largeness of the assemblies on 
sacramental occasions, the length of time they con- 
tinued on the ground in devotional exercises, and the 
great numbers who have fallen down under religious 
impressions. On each of these particulars I shall make 
some remarks. 

" With respect to the largeness of the assemblies : 
It is generally supposed that at many places there were 
not fewer than eight, ten, or twelve thousand people. 
4* 



42 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

At a place called Caneridge meeting-house, many were 
of opinion there were, at least, twenty thousand : there 
were one hundred and forty wagons which came loaded 
with people, besides other wheel carriages : some per- 
sons had come two hundred miles ; the largeness of 
these assemblies was an inconvenience ; they were too 
numerous to be addressed by one speaker ; it therefore 
became necessary for several ministers to officiate at 
different stands : this afforded an opportunity to those 
who were but slightly impressed with religion to 
wander to and fro between the different places of 
worship, which created an appearance of confusion, 
and gave ground to such as were unfriendly to the 
work to charge it with disorder. Another cause, also, 
conduced to the same effect. About this time, the 
people began to fall down in great numbers under 
serious impressions ; this was a new thing among 
Presbyterians : it excited universal astonishment, and 
created a curiosity which could not be restrained. 
When people fell, even during the most solemn part of 
divine service, those who stood near were so extremely 
anxious to see how they were affected, that they often 
crowded about them so as to disturb the worship. 
But these causes of disorder were soon removed ; differ- 
ent sacraments were appointed on the same Sabbath, 
which divided the people ; and the falling down be- 
came so familiar as to excite no disturbance. In 
October, I attended three sacraments : at each there 
were supposed to be between four and five thousand 
people, and every thing was conducted with strict pro- 
priety. When persons fell, those who were near them 
took care of them, and every one continued quiet until 
the worship was concluded. 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 43 

" The length of time that people continue at the 
places of worship, is another important circumstance 
of the Kentucky revival. At Caneridge, they met on 
Friday, and continued till Wednesday evening, night 
and day, without intermission, either in the public or 
private exercises of devotion ; and with such earnest- 
ness that heavy showers of rain were not sufficient 
to disperse them. On other sacramental occasions, they 
generally continued on the ground until Monday or 
Tuesday evening ; and had not the preachers been 
exhausted and obliged to retire, or had they chosen to 
prolong the worship, they might have kept the people 
any length of time they pleased ; and all this was, or 
might have been done, in a country where, less than 
twelve months before, the clergy found it difficult to 
detain the people during the usual exercises of the Sab- 
bath. The practice of encamping on the ground was 
introduced, partly by necessity, and partly by inclination. 
The assemblies were generally too large to be received 
by any common neighborhood. Every thing, indeed, 
was done, which hospitality and brotherly kindness 
could do, to accommodate the people. Public and pri- 
vate houses were opened, and free invitations given to all 
persons who wished to retire. Farmers gave up their 
meadows, before they were mown, to supply the horses. 
Yet, notwithstanding all this liberality, it would have 
been impossible, in many cases, to accommodate the 
whole assemblies with private lodgings. But besides, 
the people were unwilling to suffer any interruptions in 
their devotions, and they formed an attachment to the , 
place where they were continually seeing so many 
careless sinners receiving their first impressions, and so 
many Deists constrained to call on the formerly despised 



44 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

name of Jesus ; they conceived a sentiment like what 
Jacob felt at Bethel — < Surely the Lord is in this 
place ; this is none other but the house of God, and 
this is the gate of heaven.' The number of persons 
who have fallen down under serious impressions, in this 
revival, is another matter worthy of attention ; and on 
this I shall be more particular, as it seems to be the 
principal cause why this work should be more sus- 
pected of enthusiasm than some other revivals. At 
Caneridge sacrament, it is generally supposed not less 
than one thousand persons fell prostrate to the ground, 
among whom were many infidels. At one sacrament 
which I attended, the number that fell was thought to 
be more than three hundred. Persons who fall are 
generally such as have manifested symptoms of the 
deepest impressions for some time previous to that 
event.' Immediately before they become totally pow- 
erless, they are seized with a general tremor, and some- 
times, though not often, they utter one or two piercing 
shrieks in the moment of falling. Persons in this situ- 
ation are affected in different degrees : sometimes, when 
unable to stand or sit, they have the use of their hands, 
and can converse with perfect composure. In other 
cases, they are unable to speak ; the pulse becomes 
weak, and they draw a difficult breath about once in a 
minute. In some instances, their extremities become 
cold, and pulsation, breathing, and all the signs of 
life, forsake them for nearly an hour. Persons who 
have been in this situation have uniformly avowed that 
they felt no bodily pain ; that they had the entire use 
of their reason and reflection ; and when recovered, they 
would relate every thing that had been said or done 
near them, or which could possibly fall within their 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 45 

observation. From this it appears that their falling is 
neither a common fainting, nor a nervous affection. 
Indeed, this strange phenomenon appears to have taken 
every possible turn to baffle the conjecture of those 
who are not willing to consider it a supernatural power. 
Persons have sometimes fallen on their way from public 
worship, and sometimes after they had arrived at home ; 
in some cases, when they were pursuing their com- 
mon business on their farms, or when retired for secret 
devotion. 

" It was observed, generally, that persons were 
seriously affected for some time previous to their 
falling. In many cases, however, it is otherwise ; num- 
bers of thoughtless sinners have fallen as suddenly as 
if struck with lightning. Many professed infidels and 
other vicious characters have been arrested in this way, 
and sometimes at the very moment when they were 
uttering blasphemies against the work. At the begin- 
ning of the revival in Shelby county, the appearances, 
as related to me by eye-witnesses, were very surprising 
indeed. The revival had before this spread, with irre- 
sistible power, through the adjacent countries ; and 
many of the pious had attended distant sacraments 
with great benefit. These were much engaged, and felt 
unusual freedom in their addresses at the throne of grace, 
for the outpouring of the divine Spirit, at the approach- 
ing sacrament in Shelby. 

" The sacrament came on in September. The peo- 
ple, as usual, met on Friday ; but all were 1-anguid, and 
the exercises went on heavily. On Saturday and Sun- 
day morning, it was no better. At length, the commun- 
ion commenced ; every thing was still lifeless. While 
the minister of the place was speaking at one of the 



46 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK 



tables, without any unusual animation, suddenly there 
were several shrieks from different parts of the assem- 
bly ; instantly persons fell in every direction, the feel- 
ings of the pious were suddenly revived, and the work 
progressed with extraordinary power till the conclusion 
of the solemnity. 

" This phenomenon of falling is common to all 
ages, sexes, and characters ; and when they fall, they 
are differently exercised. Some pious people have fallen 
under a sense of ingratitude and hardness of heart, 
and others under affecting manifestations of the love 
and goodness of God ; many thoughtless persons under 
legal convictions, who have obtained comfort before 
they arose. Bat perhaps the most numerous class 
consists of those who fall under distressing views of 
their guilt, who arise under the same fearful apprehen- 
sions, and continue in that state for some days, perhaps 
weeks, before they receive comfort. I have conversed 
with many who fell under the influence of comfortable 
feelings ; and tfte account they gave of their exercises 
while they lay entranced was very surprising. I 
know not how to give you a better idea of them, than 
by saying that in many cases they appear to surpass 
the dying exercises of Dr. Finley ; their minds ap- 
peared wholly swallowed up in contemplating the 
perfections of the Deity, as illustrated in the plan of 
salvation ; and whilst they lay apparently senseless and 
almost lifeless, their minds were more vigorous, and 
their memories more retentive and accurate, than they 
had ever been before. I have heard men of respecta- 
bility assert that their manifestations of gospel truth 
were so clear as to require some caution, when they 
began to speak, lest they should use language which 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 47 

might induce their hearers to think they had seen 
those things with bodily eyes ; but at the same time, 
they had seen no image nor sensible representation, nor 
indeed any thing beside the old truths contained in the 
Bible. Among those whose minds were filled with the 
most delightful communications of divine love, I but 
seldom observed any thing ecstatic. Their expressions 
were just and rational ; they conversed with calmness 
and composure ; and on their first recovering their 
speech, they appeared, like persons recovering from 
a violent disease, which had. left them on the borders 
of the grave. I have sometimes been present when 
those who fell under the influence of convictions 
obtained relief before they arose. In these cases, it was 
impossible not to observe how strongly the change in 
their minds was depicted in their countenances. 
Instead of a face of horror and. despair, they assume 
one open, luminous, and serene, and expressive of all 
the comfortable feelings of religion. As to those who 
fall down under legal convictions, and continue in that 
state, they were not different from those who receive 
convictions in other revivals, excepting that their dis- 
tress is more severe. Indeed, extraordinary power is the 
leading characteristic of this revival ; both saints and 
sinners have more striking discoveries of the realities of 
another world, than I have ever known on any occasion. 
" I trust I have said enough on this subject to enable 
you to judge how the charge of enthusiasm is applica- 
ble to it. Lord Lyttleton, in his letter on the conversion 
of St. Paul, observes, (I think justly,) that enthusiasm 
is a vain, self-righteous spirit, swelled with self- 
sufficiency, and disposed to glory in its religious attain- 
ments. If this be a good definition, there has been, 



48 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

perhaps, as little enthusiasm in the Kentucky revival 
as in any other. Never have I seen more genuine marks 
of that humility which disclaims the merit of its own 
duties, and looks to the Lord Jesus Christ as the only 
way of acceptance with God. I was, indeed, highly 
pleased to find that Christ was all and all, in their 
religion as well as in the religion of the gospel. Chris- 
tians, in their highest attainments, seemed more sensible 
of their entire dependence on divine grace ; and it was 
truly affecting to hear with what agonizing anxiety 
awakened sinners inquired for Christ as the only 
physician who could give them any help. Those 
who call these things enthusiasm ought to tell us what 
they understand by the spirit of Christianity. In fact, 
sir, this revival operates as our Savior promised the 
Holy Spirit should, when sent into the world : it con- 
vinces of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment — a 
strong confirmation, to my mind, both that the promise 
is divine, and that this is a remarkable fulfilment of it. 
It would be of little avail to object to all this, that 
probably the professions of many were counterfeited. 
Such an objection would rather establish what it meant 
to destroy ; for where there is no reality, there can be 
no counterfeit ; and besides, where the general tenor 
of a work is such, as to dispose the more insincere pro- 
fessors to counterfeit what is right, the work itself 
must be genuine. But as an eye-witness in the case, I 
may be permitted to declare that the professions of 
those under religious convictions were generally marked 
with such a degree of engagedness and feeling as 
wilful hypocrisy could hardly assume. The language 
of the heart, when deeply impressed, is very distin- 
guishable from the language of affectation. Upon the 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 49 

whole, sir, I think the revival in Kentucky among the 
most extraordinary that have ever visited the church 
of Christ, and, all things considered, peculiarly adapt- 
ed to the circumstances of that country. Infidelity 
was triumphant, and religion on the point of expiring : 
something of an extraordinary nature seemed necessary 
to arrest the attention of giddy people, who were 
ready to conclude that Christianity was a fable, and 
futurity a dream. This revival has done it ; it has 
confounded infidelity, awed vice into silence, and 
brought numbers beyond calculation under serious 
impression. While the blessed Savior was calling his 
people, and building up his church in this remarkable 
way, opposition could not be silent. At this I hinted 
above ; but it is proper to observe, that the clamorous 
opposition which assailed the work at its commence- 
ment, has been in a great measure borne down before 
it ; a large proportion of those who have fallen were 
first opposers, and their example has taught others to 
be cautious, if it has not taught them to be wise. 

" I have written on this subject to a greater length 
than I first intended ; but if this account should give 
you any satisfaction, and be of any benefit to the com- 
mon cause, I shall be fully gratified. 

" Yours, with the highest esteem, 

"G. BAXTER. 

" The Rev. A. Alexander." 

I now close this article with a very few remarks. 

1. Were there not many disorders and irregularities 

connected with this great work of God ? The reader 

has seen Dr. Baxter's opinion ; and he was regarded 

through life as a man of clear and sound judgment, 

5 



50 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

whose decisions were entitled to much regard. But I 
ask the question again, because there has been much 
mistake on this point. There has been much written 
and published in the east concerning the irregularities 
and disorders of that day, for which there was just 
about as much foundation as there has been for the 
lugubrious effusions of certain English tourists in 
America, in view of the semi-barbarian condition of 
the American people. As most persons are prone to 
regard themselves as very highly civilized, so we are 
all ready to look upon ourselves as peculiarly " dis- 
creet " and " judicious." There is often in the church 
much difficulty in finding persons who are willing to 
labor for the conversion of sinners ; who are ready to 
" go out into the highways and hedges, and compel 
them to come in, that God's house may be filled." 
But who ever saw any lack of persons who were eager 
to do "the judicious," " the prudent," "the circum- 
spect," " the fault-finding," which the good of the 
church demanded ? There is no supererogation to 
which we are more prone, than that of indulging pain- 
ful apprehensions lest all the " prudence," " sound 
judgment," and " descretion," should have been allotted 
to ourselves. Thoughtful, anxious man ! vex not in 
vain thy righteous soul. There is not the least danger 
that fretting, fault-finding, or any of the virtues belong- 
ing to that amiable constellation, will die with thee ! 
How slow are men to learn the lesson taught by the 
death of Uzzah ! He supposed it was necessary for 
him to take hold of the ark, in order to keep it steady. 
He had no right to touch it. "And God smote him 
there for his error ; and there he died by the ark of 
God." (2 Sam. vi. 6, 7.) 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 51 

Two of the ministers who labored in that revival, 
with whom I was afterwards well acquainted, were 
graduates of Princeton College, during the presidency 
of Dr. Witherspoon. Rev. Samuel Doak, D. D. and 
Rev. Edward Crawford were " burning and shining 
lights," at that period, among the churches of the 
west. Dr. Doak was, for more than twenty years, 
occasionally the subject of the "bodily exercise." 
Indeed, from its appearance in 1800, until his death in 
1830, he was often affected by it. He was a powerful 
man in both mind and body ; an excellent scholar, 
such as Princeton graduates at that day generally were ; 
and a thorough Calvinist, of the Scotch Presbyterian 
school. He was among the very early settlers in the 
west ; emigrated there from Virginia near the close 
of the revolutionary war ; and, through a long life, glo- 
rified God, and preached the gospel of peace and good 
will to men. He was the president of the college at 
which Gideon Blackburn, Dr. Nelson, and many of our 
western ministers were educated. With Rev. Edward 
Crawford I spent a number of months, while I was a 
student of theology. My impression is, that he was 
never in person affected by the bodily exercise ; but he 
labored abundantly in the churches where it prevailed. 
I have heard him speak of it often. He believed that 
similar bodily affections had frequently taken place in 
the experience of Bible saints. He would quote the 
text where Abraham fell on his face before God " and 
laughed." (Gen. xvii. 17.) He would point to the 
soldiers of King Saul, and the case of Saul himself, 
( 1 Sam. xix. 18 — 24,) and to David dancing and shouting 
before the ark of the Lord. (2 Sam. vi. 14, 15.) He 
would refer also to the scenes described Neh. viii. 9 — 11, 



52 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

where it required all the authority of Nehemiah,- Ezra, 
and the Levites, to " still the people." So overwhelm- 
ing were their emotions when they " understood the 
words of the law." He would repeat the language of 
Christ, (Luke vi. 23,) " Rejoice ye in that day, and 
leap for joy ; for behold, your reward is great in 
heaven." How would a venerable apostle appear in 
our eyes at the present day, should we see him, 
wrapped in his plain mantle, his long white beard reach- 
ing down to the waist, leaping for joy, in view of his 
reward in heaven ? Mr. Crawford would illustrate and 
confirm his opinion of the bodily agitations which 
attended that revival, by reference to the scenes on the 
day of Pentecost, the conversion of Saul of Tarsus, 
and the bodily prostration of both Daniel and St. John, 
when blessed with visions of God. It would have 
been thought " passing strange" by the good people 
among whom these venerable fathers lived and labored, 
had any one charged them with " lack of judgment," 
" want of discretion," or asserted that their views of the 
revival were not entitled to high respect. Gideon 
Blackburn was in the prime of life during this precious 
season of divine mercy. He was then, and long after- 
wards, extensively known to the American churches as 
an effective and indefatigable minister of the New 
Testament. Dr. Anderson, of Tennessee, who labored 
much with Blackburn, has often expressed the opinion, 
that, in all likelihood, the disclosures of the judgment 
day will show that the seal of God, in the form of 
" souls renewed," was set to the ministry of Black- 
burn, to an extent rarely equalled, since the days of 
inspiration, among ambassadors of the cross. 

Blackburn's opinion of the great revival will be seen 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 53 

by the following extract of a letter to a friend in Phila- 
delphia, dated 

" Martville, Tenn., January 20, 1804. 

" Rev. and Dear Sir, — 

" The wonderful appearances attendant on the 
revival in the state of Tennessee, has arrested the atten- 
tion of both the friends and enemies of religion. The 
bodily exercise has assumed such a variety of shapes 
as to render it a truly Herculean task to give an intelli- 
gible statement of it to any person who has never seen 
it. However, I do not hesitate to say, that it is evi- 
dently the Lord's work, though marvellous in our eyes. 

" Since my return to the state of Tennessee, I have 
attended eight sacraments ; and these in different parts 
of the country. From one thousand to thirty-five hun- 
dred have been assembled together — of course, col- 
lected from considerable distances. I have conversed 
particularly with upwards of eight hundred persons on 
their exercises, views, feelings, &c, and I am con- 
strained to say, that I have discovered far less extrava- 
gance, disorder, and irregularity, than could have pos- 
sibly been expected in so extraordinary an awakening, 
especially when part of it took place among persons 
settled in the back parts, and entirely destitute of the 
means of grace. If crowded audiences, earnest praying, 
practical preaching, and animated singing, may be con- 
sidered irregular, there is a great deal of irregularity. 
If crying out for mercy, if shouting glory to God for 
salvation, are disorderly, then there is some disorder ; 
but. I presume, not more than there was at the day of 
Pentecost. 

" The only thing with us, which can be construed 
into disorder or extravagance, is the motions of the 
5* 



54 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

body under the exercise. In most of the cases, when 
the paroxysm begins to go off, the subject feels the 
strongest desire for prayer, and frequently expresses 
himself in the most pathetic, fluent, and pertinent 
manner I ever heard. Children of five or six, and 
persons who before appeared grossly ignorant, express 
themselves in such a manner, form their petitions so 
judiciously, and introduce Scripture so pertinently, 
that I question if the greatest doctor of divinity in 
America would not blush in the view of his own 
inferiority. 

" The subjects of those exercises are found in all 
classes, ranks, and degrees — the person of eighty and 
the child of four ; the master in affluence, and the 
slave in bondage ; the clergy in the pulpit, and the 
laity in the pews ; the man of long religious standing, 
those of a recent date, and many who have no religion 
at all. It is universally agreed that there is no religion 
in the bodily exercise ; yet it is thought to be a very 
solemn, external call, is well calculated to impress the 
mind, and ought to be improved. 

" In short, I have not only heard of it, and seen it, 
but have felt it, and am persuaded that it is only to be 
effected by the immediate finger of God. There are 
some impostors, there are some extravagances ; but 
these make no characteristic feature of the work, and 
are held in absolute abhorrence by the pious. The 
best evidence of a revival is the fruit produced. To 
this we shall attend : a full enumeration of this would 
swell my long letter to a volume. The infidel of 
many years' standing is often seen laying down his 
weapons at the foot of the cross, and heard crying out, 
" There is a Savior. I enjoy more sweetness in a 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 55 

moment, than I have done for years,' &c. These 
things I have seen and heard. They have also de- 
clared, that men and books could never have so effec- 
tually convinced them of the truth, as the bodily 
exercise has done. Those of the same class, who are 
not convinced, are completely silenced. The ball 
room, tippling shops, and taverns, have, in a number of 
instances, been thrown open to the pious, and converted 
into places of prayer and praise in social exercise. 
The most profane settlements, where religion was not 
known, or the name of God mentioned only in blas- 
phemy, are regularly formed into societies, and meet 
weekly for social prayer. The very caves of the 
mountains, where a few of the more indifferent had 
crowded, are now sounding with praise to God. Pray- 
ing societies may be attended every day or every night 
in the week, by a ride of a few miles. In these, boys 
of twelve or fifteen will cheerfully take their part, 
when called upon. In all these societies, there is 
one appointed to preside, who reads the Scriptures, 
chooses and points out the hymns, and calls on persons 
to pray, as he chooses ; and thus all is conducted with 
decency and order. It is not uncommon on Sabbath 
evenings, and frequently in the week, to find twenty or 
more children associated in a silent grove, none of them 
more than twelve years old, and engaged in the most 
solemn prayer. 

" I have drawn near them, and seen and heard won- 
ders indescribable — some crying to Jesus for mercy ; 
some shouting, < Glory to God for salvation ; ' others 
praying for their own souls — their brothers, sisters, 
fathers, mothers, friends, ministers — praying for the 
church — the heathen — yea, for the world at large. O, 



56 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

sir, nothing but the hosannas of the children on the 
entry of Christ into Jerusalem, could equal the praises 
of these infants. Nor is this a hasty flash, but con- 
tinues, while they are evidently become both more 
dutiful and docile. Their desire, as soon as they take 
the bodily exercise, for instruction and for the means 
of grace, is past conception. The poor black slaves are 
much reformed ; they are more dutiful, faithful, and 
upright ; and many of their nights, after days of 
fatigue, are spent in social prayer. In a word, the 
Christian is animated, the hypocrite alarmed, and sin- 
ners tremble. The doctrines of the cross are thirsted 
after, and more fully understood, than they would have 
been, in a common way, in ten years' regular attention. 
Total depravity, free grace, inexcusable rebellion, 
and infinite mercy, are favorite topics. The great 
object appears to be, to despise self, and exalt the 
Redeemer. The sinner ceases to make terms with his 
Creator, and surrenders in entire, unconditional sub- 
mission. The love of Christians for each other has 
increased at least tenfold, especially with those who 
have been the subjects of the bodily exercise, (for it is 
to be remarked, that all Christians are not the subjects 
of it,) and the zeal for the interest of Zion has had a 
proportionate increase. Prayer, praise, and religious 
conversation, are clearly the order of the day ; and this 
practice, passing through the common circles of society, 
has bettered their state and sweetened the relations 
of life. 

" These are some of the effects produced ; and while 
such is the fruit of the moral tree, I shall consider the 
root good, and the cause producing it divine. I ought 
to have remarked, that the bodily exercise is not the 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 57 

effect of the weakness of the nervous system, for the 
weak, hysterical female will often remain unmoved, 
while the stout and sturdy veteran will sink and fall 
by her side. As soon as any person who has been the 
subject of the exercise has been attacked by sickness, 
the exercise leaves him entirely, until he again recovers 
strength, when it returns with force proportionate to 
his returning ^strength. After all I have said, you will 
not be able to form an accurate judgment of the thing 
without being a spectator yourself; nor can it be fully 
described by any man on earth. I have simply stated 
facts so far as I have gone, not any by hearsay, but 
what I have seen myself. Should the bodily exercise 
produce as good fruits in Philadelphia as it has done 
here, I should sincerely wish to hear of it making its 
appearance in that city. When persons are under the 
bodily exercise, they can think and express themselves 
beyond their common level very considerably ; and of 
this I am convinced by experience. 
u I am, &c. 

"GIDEON BLACKBURN." 

2. But were there not alarming errors in doctrines 
that sprang up in the west during that revival ? Did 
not Arianism and Socinianism come in like a flood ? 
Did not Shakerism appear and make many converts ? 
I answer, Arianism and Socinianism, in their various 
forms, were making great progress at that time in Ger- 
many, in England, in the province of Ulster, Ireland, 
and in portions of our Atlantic states. And it is true, 
that while the public mind was waked up on the great 
subject of religion in the west, Arianism and Socinian- 
ism appeared in some parts of the country : there were 



58 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

some cases, among both ministers and people, where 
these forms of error were embraced, which occasioned 
deep regret in the church. It is further true, that three 
Shaker missionaries, from Lebanon, in New York, I 
believe, came to the west-, and succeeded in forming 
two small societies in Kentucky, and one in Ohio. 
This is about the extent to which Shakerism obtained 
any permanent foothold in the west. The revival 
prevailed over large districts of Western Pennsylvania. 
The region round about Pittsburg was greatly blessed. 
It prevailed extensively in Western and South-western 
Virginia. It literally covered most of the settled por- 
tions of Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and visited 
extensive regions in North and South Carolina and 
Georgia. Through this entire range of country, the 
Baptist church, the Methodist church, and the Presby- 
terian church, were blessed and prospered greatly ; and 
yet, because Socinianism and Arianism made a limited 
impression in portions of Kentucky and Ohio, while 
they were marching in triumph through some of the 
Atlantic regions and through large districts of Europe, 
and because Shakerism was imported from the east, 
and planted at two points in Kentucky, and one in 
Ohio, the devil has labored hard to send abroad the 
proclamation, that the great western revival resulted 
in little else than disorders — Arianism and Shakerism. 
In a conversation which I once had with Dr. Nelson, 
concerning this outpouring of the Spirit of God, by 
which the overspreading tide of infidelity was arrested, 
and the west transformed into a Christian land, he 
expressed much regret that this richest blessing, be- 
stowed by a bountiful God, in our early history, should 
have been so egregiously misrepresented and misun- 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 59 

derstood in other parts of the Union. I asked him this 
question — 

" Do you not think, doctor, that the devil must have 
immense talent ? " 

" Sir," said he, " my respect for his talent is rising 
regularly, the more I see of his management." 

When God has been pleased graciously to visit a 
people with the quickening power of his Spirit, and 
many have been turned from sin to holiness, and from 
Satan to God, is it not marvellous that good men can 
be so deluded by the wiles of the great adversary as to 
become evidently eager to impute all the wrong things 
that may appear in that community, for ten or twenty 
years afterwards, to the influence of the revival ? With 
as much propriety, you might charge the apostasy of 
Judas to the ministry of Jesus Christ. 

Inspiration tells us, that in order to accomplish his 
base designs, the devil assumes various disguises. At 
one time he is a serpent — " that old serpent." Again, 
"he goeth about as a roaring lion." And again, he 
appears as a " great red dragon." Now, I venture to 
surmise, that had we an inspired history of the strata- 
gems of the devil at this day, we should find, that 
he resorts to another disguise, in order to deceive, to 
wit, that of a turkey-buzzard; and he will flutter and 
flap his foul wings over a fragment of his favorite car- 
rion, and, if possible, raise dust enough to prevent you 
from discerning all the beauty that is visible among 
"the cattle upon a thousand hills." 

Why should Arianism, Socinianism, or Shakerism 
be brought up to dishonor the western revival of 1800, 
when all these " isms," originated elsewhere, were but 
imported into the west, and never prevailed there as 



60 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

they have prevailed in regions where that revival was 
unknown ? Certain it is that no men more regretted 
any departures from sound doctrine than did those 
good men whose labors were so abundantly blessed in 
that dispensation of the Holy Spirit, by which the 
west, in its infancy, was consecrated to the service of 
God. 

Nor do I believe that now, after the lapse of near 
fifty years, there is any part of the Christian world, 
where, in proportion to their numbers, there is in the 
several evangelical denominations more of that religion 
which God approves, than in the region visited by the 
revival of 1800. 

I will here mention one district, one denomination, 
and one family. 

The district is that included within the bounds of 
the Presbyterian synod of Tennessee, that is, East 
Tennessee, and a portion of South-western Virginia. 
This region was powerfully visited with the Spirit of 
God during the great revival. And in fact, the revival 
continued there when it had ceased at many other 
points. Fifteen years after the commencement of this 
glorious work, I entered the ministry in that country, 
and labored there until 1830. I was extensively 
acquainted with churches and families through much 
of that region. It was then called the " Switzerland 
of America," in reference to the mountainous features 
of the country, and the prevalence of pure, Protestant 
religion. If, at that period, there was any considerable 
number of Arians and Socinians. or even one Shaker 
family, in all that range of country, I know not where 
they were to be found. An accurate and extensive 
knowledge of the Bible, in connection with a conse- 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 61 

cration of the soul to God in Christ, existed among 
that people to a degree that is rare in this fallen world. 
This was the fruit of God's Spirit in that memorable 
revival. 

The denomination to which I refer is that of the 
Cumberland Presbyterians. This body of Christian 
people began their organized existence during that 
great divine visitation. They now have a member- 
ship numbering, as I am informed, some hundred and 
twenty or thirty thousand. I say nothing of the 
shades of opinion, in which they may vary from other 
Presbyterian bodies. They preach salvation through 
the atonement of a divine Redeemer, and the renewing 
power of the Holy Spirit. There are among them 
very many strong men — "workmen that need not 
to be ashamed." And their blessed Master has been 
with them in every part of that wide field where they 
have labored, and has made his gospel " the power of 
God unto salvation " to many thousands of believing 
souls. From my inmost soul I honor these men, and 
I will speak of it in the presence of the church of 
my God. For without patronage or prospect of ade- 
quate worldly support, they " did put their life in their 
hand," and met difficulties and dangers that were for- 
midable and many, and by their instrumentality " the 
Lord wrought a great salvation." Zion's friends have 
seen it, and rejoice. 

I have no hesitation in declaring my belief, that 
during the last forty years, no body of Christian min- 
isters in America, or even in the world, have preached 
so much good, effective preaching, and received so little 
worldly compensation, as the ministers of the Cumber- 
land Presbyterian church. That church now stands 
6 



62 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

before earth and heaven a monument of God's great 
work in the revival of 1800. 

The family I wished to mention is that of my 
grandfather. I am confident that there is no impro- 
priety in this. My aim is that Z ion's God may be 
glorified, and the work of God's Spirit may be seen in 
its bearing on a single house. 

My grandfather, with a family of seven sons and 
two daughters, emigrated from the state of Pennsyl- 
vania to East Tennessee very soon after the treaty of 
peace with Great Britain, in 1783. Both the parents 
died within a few years after their removal, leaving 
this large family of young persons, amid the trials and 
dangers of a new country, distracted with Indian hos- 
tilities. One of the brothers went to a distant part 
of the country at an early day. The conclusion of his 
earthly history I never knew. But the six brothers 
and the two sisters, all now married and blessed with 
families, were living comparatively near to each other 
at the commencement of the great revival. Thus far 
they had all lived " without God and without hope in 
the world." In that wonderful visitation of divine 
mercy, these six brothers and their wives, these two 
sisters and their husbands, were all made the happy 
subjects of renewing grace. O, I have heard these 
brothers, and these sisters, after they had entered on 
their march for the city of God, singing the honors of 
their Redeemer in such lines as these : — 



" Amazing 1 grace ! how sweet the sound ! 
That saved a wretch like me. 
I once was lost, but now am found ; 
Was blind, but now I see. 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 63 

" 'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, 
And grace my fear relieved. 
How precious did that grace appear, 
The hour I first believed ! 

" Through many dangers, toils, and snares, 
I have already come ; 
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, 
And grace will lead me home. 

" The Lord has promised good to me ; 
His word my hope secures ; 
He will my shield and portion be, 
As long as life endures. 

" Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail, 
And mortal life shall cease, 
I shall possess, within the veil, 
A life of joy and peace. 

" The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, 
The sun forbear to shine ; 
But God, who called me here below, 
Will be forever mine." 

These brothers and sisters are now gone to "the 
heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company 
of angels." From most of their families I have been 
separated for many years. But I have received the 
joyful intelligence that among them the mercy of the 
Lord has gone down to children, and to children's chil- 
dren. Of the family of one of these brothers, however, 
I can speak more particularly. In that family, both 
of the parents lived and "walked with God" more 
than forty years from the period when they first 
entered into his holy covenant. They then died in 
faith, and in hope of a glorious immortality. Ten of 
their children attained the years of maturity : all of 



64 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

these consecrated themselves to God early, in the 
morning of life. Six of their number have already- 
crossed the cold stream, and gone up " to the general 
assembly and church of the first born, which are writ- 
ten in heaven." Of the surviving four, three are sons, 
who have long labored in the west as ministers of the 
gospel in the Presbyterian church. Two of them, at 
this date. (November, 1849,) have been preaching about 
twenty-five years. Their ministry has been owned 
of God, and blessed to the souls of many. The other 
son, however unworthy of the privilege, has preached 
the gospel of Christ almost thirty-four years. In his 
family, the six eldest children have dedicated them- 
selves to God while very young ; one at the age of 
nine years, and all the others before their years had 
numbered twelve. 

These humble statistics are recorded, in the 
" Western Sketch-Book," to the glory of the great 
name of Zion's King, and that honest inquirers, who 
are desirous of knowing the truth, may have facts 
before them from which to judge of the fruits and 
results of the " western revival of 1800." 

The facts given here, however, are but a " handful to 
the harvest." But, O, "the Lord shall count, when 
he writeth up the people, that this and that man was 
born there." And distant generations will rise up and 
give hallelujahs to his name, that he baptized our 
beloved western country, in its early infancy, by this 
memorable outpouring of his Holy Spirit. 

There is here another instance of that beautiful 
analogy, before mentioned, between the ancient and 
modern dispensations of God's providence and grace. 
" When the day of Pentecost had fully come, there 



THE GREAT REVIVAL. 65 

were dwelling at Jerusalem " — that is, they were col- 
lected to celebrate the feast of Pentecost — " Jews, 
devout men, out of every nation under heaven." 
God's grace came down on them, and three thousand 
were converted in one day, and five thousand in 
another, and great multitudes were thus added to the 
infant church. Now, mark, when this pentecostal sea- 
son was concluded, and all these converts returned to 
their homes, they carried the elements of Christianity 
with them into almost every part of the heathen world. 
When the apostles afterwards went abroad among the 
nations to preach the gospel and organize churches, in 
almost every province, in almost every city, in almost 
every nook and corner of the Gentile world, they found 
more or less of these early converts, to hold up their 
hands, to join with them in prayer, to assist them by 
their counsel, and, in fact, to furnish a nucleus around 
which churches might be gathered ; and the apostles 
rejoiced, while they marvelled, at the depth, and height, 
and perfection of the counsels of God. 

Now, for more than thirty years, communities at a 
distance have been emptying their population into the 
great valley. Not only have the streams poured in 
from the older states of our happy Union, but Euro- 
pean nations have sent over their thousands and their 
hundreds of thousands. With the alien character of 
our foreign population, and the proneness of the 
American emigrant to forget his religion when he goes 
to the west, we know not what the results might 
have been, had no other element been thrown in by 
divine Providence. But God had interposed. He had 
imbued the strong, resolute western man with supreme 
love to Christ and his church. He had, by his Holy 
6* 



66 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

Spirit, made this fearless, decided western man a Chris- 
tian and a Protestant. And the minister who for more 
than thirty years has travelled in the west, preaching 
and organizing churches, has found this firm, deter- 
mined western man standing up at every point for the 
honor and for the church of his divine Master. And 
he, with great frequency, is the nucleus around which 
young churches are formed in the wide west to the 
glory of our Redeemer. 

Other agencies have come into the field since, and 
they have done well. But " render unto Cesar the 
things that are Cesar's, and unto God the things that 
are God's." Be it known, therefore, unto thee, " O 
earth ! earth ! earth ! " that the mighty west is a Chris- 
tian and Protestant land, because the God of glory 
appeared there at an early day, and poured the abun- 
dance of his salvation upon her people. Ah, she will 
carry down to far distant ages the decided impression 
and fixed character instamped upon her childhood by 
the seal of the Holy Spirit. 



RECOLLECTIONS OF GEN. JACKSON. 67 



RECOLLECTIONS OF GENERAL 
JACKSON. 



Colonel Samuel M. Grant, of Northern Missouri, 
first waked up my mind to the importance of recording 
and preserving the testimony of General Jackson on 
the subject of the truth and value of the Christian 
religion. Said he, "I was hi Palmyra at the time the 
news was received of General Jackson's public profes- 
sion of faith in Jesus Christ. A gentleman, whom I 
had long known as a professed rejecter of the gospel, 
hailed me at the door of his office, and desired me to 
come in. I entered, and he held up a newspaper, and 
said, l I have just been reading the account of General 
Jackson making a profession of the religion of Jesus 
Christ. It is, long since my eyes have known a tear ; 
but now I have been weeping freely in view of that 
venerable old man standing up in the church and 
confessing Christ as his Savior.' " Such was Colonel 
Grant's account of this incident in Palmyra, which, he 
said, affected his heart much, as he had long known 
this gentleman, and had regarded him as hopelessly 
sunk in the vortex of infidelity ; and now he was sur- 
prised and gratified to find him startled and roused to 
such an extent by the public religious stand taken by 
General Jackson. Colonel Grant then proceeded to 
remark, " In my early days, the palpable and notorious 



68 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

infidelity of Thomas Jefferson spread a desolation that 
was mournful over the entire face of the western coun- 
try. Jefferson was distinguished as a politician. His 
fame was every where as the draughtsman of the Dec- 
laration of Independence. And when it was blown 
abroad that Thomas Jefferson had imbibed the French 
infidelity, and rejected the gospel, it was like ■ the 
destruction that wasteth at noonday.' The enemies 
of religion took courage, put on airs of immense con- 
sequence, boasted, plumed themselves, and threw up 
their blasphemy in the face of Heaven. Ah ! it was 
reputable, it was literary, it was scientific, to scowl 
at the gospel, and pour forth ' great swelling words ' 
against all that is sacred. But now," continued Col- 
onel Grant, " here is a man, raised up by the hand of 
God to the possession of an influence far beyond all 
that Jefferson ever possessed ; for Jefferson never was 
able to wield public opinion, in this great nation, as 
General Jackson has done. And yet this man publicly 
prostrates himself before the cross, and calls on the 
crucified Redeemer as his Lord and his God. The 
American church should not suffer this important testi- 
mony of General Jackson to be overlooked or for- 
gotten." Such were the remarks of Colonel Samuel 
M. Grant. I felt their appropriateness and their power. 
I had known General Jackson personally from early 
childhood. My father's house was one of his occa- 
sional resting-places, while he officiated as judge in 
the state of Tennessee, long before he was elected 
general. I remembered his conversation in the family. 
I remembered that when the infidelity of Voltaire, 
Volney, and Thomas Paine were fashionable, rampant, 
and considered as almost essential to the standing of a 



RECOLLECTIONS OF GEN. JACKSON. 69 

gentleman, Judge Jackson freely and frequently averred 
his full and unwavering confidence in the divine author- 
ity of the Bible, and the truth of the gospel declaration 
that Jesus Christ is the only Savior of lost men, and 
that we must repent of sin, and obey the gospel of 
Christ, or our souls cannot be saved. I often thought 
of the importance of recording General Jackson's tes- 
timony in relation to the gospel ; but his name was so 
identified with the politics of the country, that it was 
difficult to say any thing concerning him, without 
touching some political chord, which I wished not to 
agitate. 

But now the old general is gone. The political am- 
bition which his name so often awakened, has almost 
wholly died away. The generation with which he 
was identified is rapidly passing into eternity. And 
soon the language of the poet, in its fullest extent, 
will be applicable to him in his earthly history : — 

" He suffered, but his pangs are o'er ; 
Enjoyed, but his delights are fled ; 
Had friends — his friends are now no more ; 
And foes — his foes are dead." 

Andrew Jackson was the son of an eminently pious 
mother, who died when he was about fourteen years 
of age. By this mother he was early taught the Holy 
Scriptures, and his young mind deeply imbued with 
the knowledge of the great doctrines of the gospel. 
With the Catechism of the Westminster Assembly he 
was familiar before his mother's death. The Christian 
counsel, the prayers, the pious example of that mother, 
attended him through all the meanderings of his 
eventful life, and had a controlling agency in mould- 



70 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

ing and guiding the thoughts and sentiments of his 
powerful mind. 

He emigrated from South Carolina, his native state, 
to Tennessee, when infidelity flooded all the land. 
With that infidelity Andrew Jackson would have no 
communion. He was not then a church member ; 
but he honored God in word by the frank, full, and 
often-repeated declaration of his absolute confidence in 
the truth of the Holy Scriptures, and man's need of 
the great salvation therein revealed. It was, indeed, a 
rare and affecting spectacle — a young lawyer of 
acknowledged talents, great promise, and brilliant 
worldly prospects, standing up the fearless advocate of 
the religion of the Bible ; breasting, with undaunted 
fortitude, a perverted and polluted public sentiment, 
and amidst the scoffs and sneers of popular sceptics 
around, unmoved as the rock that breaks the billows 
which in vain attempt to shake it. 

The elements of true greatness were already con- 
spicuous in the character of the youthful Jackson. 
Those extraordinary attributes of mind already stood 
forth, wl^Lch in after life enabled him to sway and 
direct public opinion in one of the greatest nations on 
the earth — attributes of mind which so lifted him up, 
that, in fact, he will be to posterity the most notable 
landmark of the age in which he lived. For this 
reason his testimony to the divinity of the gospel had 
great weight. General Jackson was not at this period 
a professor of religion. Nor can it be said that he 
avoided the fashionable amusements of the day. But 
he honored God in word. And when the faithful 
minister of the gospel publicly rebuked sin, Jack- 
son honored the messenger of God, and acknowledged 
the righteousness of the message. 



RECOLLECTIONS OF GEN. JACKSON. 71 

An instance of this occurred in the ministerial labors 
of Rev. Robert Henderson. This venerable man was 
a zealous and powerful preacher, who labored abun- 
dantly among the plain, frontier population of the west. 
In those primitive days, the minister of the gospel 
considered it his duty to rebuke sin, in whatever circle 
of society it might lift up its deformed head. Hen- 
derson had a courageous heart, fervent piety, and 
descriptive powers of a very high order. Perhaps the 
reader would be pleased with a specimen of the style 
of Henderson in reproving sin. If so, he shall be grati- 
fied. Among the popular vices then in vogue, horse- 
racing and cock-fighting were preeminent. The latter 
fashionable sport, as it was then called, had many 
admirers among western gentlemen. Of this number 
General Jackson was one. The consequence was, that 
game chickens were in high repute, and were objects 
of much attention. There had been a large collection 
of gentlemen at one of our western villages, and Gen- 
eral Jackson was among them. The day had been 
spent in their favorite sport. It was Saturday ; and, as 
the evening drew on, Rev. Robert Henderson rode into 
town, stopped at the principal hotel, and announced that 
he would preach in the court-house on the next day. 
The tidings went abroad on the wings of the wind, 
for Henderson was well known, and it was generally 
expected that, when he appeared, popular and fashion- 
able vices would meet with rough handling. 

The morning came. The congregation assembled. 
The sermon commenced. " Lo, this only have I found, 
that God hath made man upright ; but they have 
sought out many inventions." (Eccl. vii. 29.) The 
preacher spoke in elevated terms of the exalted and 



72 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

noble existence which the great God bestowed on man 
at his creation. He was created rational and immortal. 
He was endued with capacity for receiving the knowl- 
edge and enjoying the fellowship of the Most High. 
He was made but a little lower than the angels. He 
was created in the image of God ; and when man, 
perfect in body and soul, was stationed in Eden, the 
spectacle was so interesting, that enraptured throngs 
of celestial beings fastened their fixed gaze upon him. 
Angelic multitudes came from far to behold this new 
specimen of the wonderful workmanship of the Most 
High. And while they saw, in holy, happy man, rich 
disclosures of the wisdom, the goodness, and the glory 
of the Eternal One, 'the morning stars sang together, 
and all the sons of God shouted for joy.' 

•''But, O, 'how are the mighty fallen! How has 
the fine gold become dim ! ' Paradise is lost, and 
man is 

" Fallen, fallen, fallen, fallen, 
Fallen from his high estate ! " 

The trail of the serpent degrades and pollutes the earth 
on which we tread. The energies of Adam's sons are 
now exhausted in pursuit of bubbles and vanity. ' They 
sow the wind, and they reap the whirlwind.' I will 
give you an example. On my arrival at this place on 
last evening, I was happy to learn that quite a number of 
distinguished gentlemen were in town — colonels, and 
generals, and judges ; men whom their fellow-citizens 
have delighted to , honor, and to whom God has 
given endowments calculated to bless and adorn 
society. I anticipated an intellectual feast. I was 
glad of the opportunity of spending an evening in 
such an enlightened circle. I congratulated myself in 



RECOLLECTIONS OF GEN. JACKSON. 73 

prospect of an entertainment so rich both in pleasure 
and in profit. 

" And now, friends, what do you suppose was the 
great theme of discussion in this assembly of superior 
men ? Some may, perhaps, conjecture that they dis- 
coursed of international law — those measures of enlight- 
ened policy which are calculated, on the largest scale, 
to benefit the human race. But no ; such was not their 
theme. Others may suppose that the attention of this 
select body of men was occupied by some new dis- 
covery in astronomy. As our glasses are improved, 
remoter fields of creation come to view. But no ; this 
was not their subject. Or, do you imagine that their 
eyes were directed to the wonders of redemption, 
which drew down celestial armies to Bethlehem, and 
caused them to sing heavenly anthems in the hearing 
of men ? No, friends ; such was not their topic. The 
whole burden of conversation for the evening — 
I blush while I repeat it, but the duty is imperative — 
the whole burden of conversation was, ' game chick- 
ens ! game chickens ! — their long pedigrees, their rare 
qualities, their bloody battles ! ' Tell it not in Gath ! 
publish it not in the streets of Askalon ! O, when will 
our influential men learn and regard the divine maxim, 
that { righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a re- 
proach to any people ' ! " 

An inferior mind would have taken offence at the 
plain dealing of this resolute ambassador of God. Not 
so did General Jackson. Early the next morning, he 
called at the minister's room, and, in a manner the most 
frank and cordial, thanked him for his faithfulness in 
rebuking sin, and his efforts for the best interests of 
society. He declared his full conviction of the truth of 
7 



74 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK 

the gospel, and that obedience to it was essential to sal- 
vation. And from that period, General Jackson was the 
firm,* unwavering supporter of this minister, until Robert 
Henderson was called to go the way of all the earth. 

It was said, that General Jackson honored God in 
word, long before he became a member of the church. 
I wish to dwell a little on this point. For a number 
of years, facts have been coming before my mind, 
which have fastened upon it this conviction, that the 
amount of guilt brought on the soul of man by evil 
words, is very great. There is a wretched and wide- 
spread delusion on the public mind in reference to this 
matter. Many think that words are but breath, . — mere 
empty air, — and that there is but little crime in the 
use of light and idle words on the subject of religion. 
Hence many, whose conscience would cry out against 
a sinful act, will indulge in light and jocular words on 
serious things. I will mention one or two facts that 
have deeply affected my own mind. In the year 1840, 
I saw, in Northern Illinois, an old man, of steady and 
regular habits, who kept aloof from the church, while 
his wife, and daughter, and son-in-law, and other mem- 
bers of the family, turned to the Lord. At length, I 
asked him, in the presence of his family, if he was not 
willing to turn to the Lord. He replied, " There is no 
hope for me, I have said so much against the Lord." 
I was not sure that I correctly understood him, and 
therefore asked again, what it was that he had 
remarked. " There is no hope for me,' ; replied the 
old man, "/ have spoken so much against the Lord." 
It was the first time in my life, that I had heard a 
person single out the guilt contracted by sins of the 
tongue, as pressing with awful weight on the troubled 



RECOLLECTIONS OF GEN. JACKSON. 75 

soul ; and for a moment I was silent. His daughter 
was sitting by. She was a woman, perhaps, twenty- 
seven years of age. Said she, " Why, father, I don't 
remember to have heard you speak against Christ and 
his religion." "My child, it was before you were 
born." His wife was present. They had been married 
more than thirty-three years. " Why, husband," said 
she, " I don't remember to have heard you speak against 
the religion of Christ." "My dear, it was before you 
were acquainted with me. When I was a young man, 
I joined myself to a club of infidels. Our aim was to 
bring religion into contempt by ridicule ; and, O, I have 
said so much against the Lord, that there is now no 
hope for me." Here was an old man, quailing under 
the terrible load of guilt brought upon his soul by evil 
words uttered some thirty-five or forty years before. 
Take another instance. A man, whose head was white 
with the frost of seventy winters, called upon me 
when alone in my room in Missouri, and said, " What 
can I do ? My heart is cold and dead. I fear I have 
grieved away the Spirit of God. When I was young, 
I courted infidelity. I thought it was evidence of a 
superior mind to scowl at the gospel, and make light 
of sacred things. I did so, till the habit was formed 
and fixed ; and now for a long time I have been trying 
to get rid of it. But my heart seems dead to the 
gospel, and the ghost of that infidelity which I courted 
when young, follows me wherever I go. It has been 
haunting me for years ; and I shudder at the appre- 
hension that it will haunt me into the grave." 

One of the most successful politicians of his day, 
in the western country, had allowed himself to profane 
the language of God's word by introducing it on light 



76 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

and trivial occasions. He would point a joke with a 
quotation from the Holy Scriptures. When jesting 
and indulging in playful remarks, the word of God 
was in his mouth with painful frequency. He became 
habitually addicted to an irreverent, profane, and shock- 
ing familiarity with the words of eternal truth. Many 
were amused and made merry with his supposed wit. 
But every good man, that heard him sporting with the 
solemn language of God, was grieved. At length, a 
sad change came over him. He lost all interest for 
political life. He lost all relish for the society of his 
friends. He lost all regard for his own family. His 
heart withered, life became a burden, heavy, horrible, 
insupportable. And while occupying the governor's 
chair, he took a loaded rifle, and put a violent end to 
his earthly existence. It was thought that, by light 
and Tain words, he had grieved away the favor of God. 
And woe to that man from whom God departs. 

Addison's hymn entitled " Gratitude " is very beauti- 
ful ; but perhaps the very finest stanza in that hymn is 
this : — 

" Ten thousand thousand precious gifts 

My daily thanks employ ; 
Nor is the least a cheerful heart, 

That tastes those gifts with joy." 

It is the smile of God that enables us to rise in the 
morning with cheerfulness, and address ourselves with 
good heart to the cares and toils of the day. But woe 
to that man from whom the smile of God is taken away. 

Wicked words have an awful tendency to banish the 
soul from the favor of God. Enoch, the seventh from 
Adam, predicts that one leading object of the final Judge, 
in the great day, is to execute judgment on sinners for the 



RECOLLECTIONS OF GEN. JACKSON. 77 



" hard speeches " which .they have spoken against him. 
Two of the ten commandments are employed to guard 
men against sins of the tongue. And it is a sin of the 
tongue — blasphemy against the Holy Ghost — that 
"shall 'never be forgiven, neither in this world, neither 
in the world to come." 

I visited General Jackson twice, in the month of Sep- 
tember, 1843. He was then very frail, and had the 
appearance of extreme old age ; but he was reposing 
with calmness and confidence on the promise and 
covenant of God. He had now been a member of the 
church for several years. And when I witnessed his 
serenity and his unclouded hope, I thought of the 
manner in which he had honored God in word, when 
the cause of religion was very unpopular, and when a 
deluge of infidelity threatened to desolate the whole 
land. 

It is to be regretted that most of our political men, — 
presidents, governors, and those high in authority, — 
when they speak on the subject of religion, use language 
so guarded and equivocal, that a Turk, a Jew, or an 
enlightened heathen could adopt it. They will speak 
of the " Supreme Being," " the great Disposer of all 
events," "the source of national prosperity," &c, &c. 
But General Jackson's language was that of a decided 
Christian. He spoke of the divine Redeemer ; his 
wonderful union with the nature of man ; his vicari- 
ous death in the room of sinners ; pardon through 
his blood ; and eternal glory in heaven, bestowed on 
believers for his righteousness' sake. 

There was a little company of Christian friends 
present in the Hermitage. After expressing the warm- 
est interest in the church of Christ, and his hope that 
7* 



78 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

she would yet prosper and bless the world, General 
Jackson turned to me, and said, " There is a beautiful 
hymn on the subject of the exceeding great and pre- 
cious promises of God to his people. It was a favorite 
hymn with my dear wife till the day of her death. It 
has been very precious to me. It commences thus : 
'How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord.' I 
wish you would sing it now." So the little company 
in the Hermitage, at his request, sung the following 
hymn : — 

" How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, 
Is laid for your faith in the excellent word ! 
What more can he say than to you he hath said, 
You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled ? 

" In every condition, in sickness, in health, 
In poverty's vale or abounding in wealth, 
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea, 
As thy days may demand shall thy strength ever be. 

" Fear not ; I am with thee ; O, be not dismayed ; 
I, I am thy God, and will still give thee aid ; 
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand, 
Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand. 

" When through the deep waters I call thee to go, 
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow, 
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless, 
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress. 

" When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, 
My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply : 
The flame shall not hurt thee ; I only design 
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine. 

" E'en down to old age, all my people shall prove 
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love ; 
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn, 
Like lambs they shall still in my bosom be borne. 



RECOLLECTIONS OF GEN. JACKSON. 79 

" The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, 
I will not, I will not desert to his foes ; 
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, 
I'll never, no, never, no, never forsake." 

The sublime and glorious doctrine embodied in this 
hymn was the food of his spirit, the joy and the 
rejoicing of his heart. When I looked upon him, 
now desolate, in extreme old age ; his early friends 
almost entirely gone ; his beloved wife in the grave j 
his own health failing amidst accumulating infirmities, 
yet reposing, with absolute satisfaction and serenity, 
on the free, the firm, the everlasting gospel, — I was 
forcibly reminded of that rich, unparalleled paragraph, 
near the close of Christ's Sermon on the Mount: 
" Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, 
and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, 
which built his house upon a rock : And the rain 
descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, 
and beat upon that house ; and it fell not : for it was 
founded upon a rock." I walked into his garden, and 
there was the grave of his wife, covered with a plain 
marble slab, with the inscription, " Rachel Jackson," 
with the date of her birth, and her death, and beside 
it his own grave, all prepared and ready for the recep- 
tion of his body, when death should call him home. 

I learned, that when the weather was good, he spent 
a portion of every day at this grave, in meditation and 
prayer ; and that he believed he was there blessed 
with the presence of Him who has taken the sting 
from death, and the victory from the grave. I returned 
to the house. My parents had long been his particular 
friends, but they are now departed. He met me in 
the hall, and said, " Your father and your mother are 



80 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

gone ! " I silently assented ; my emotions forbade me 
to speak. " Well," said he, " they lived to a good old 
age." It is impossible for any one, who never heard 
General Jackson speak, to understand all the interest 
that he threw into this brief Bible quotation. His atti- 
tude, his tones, the whole manner of the venerable man 
impressed me with a sense of new beauties in that 
precious promise, (Gen. xv. 15,) "Thou shalt go to 
thy fathers in peace : thou shalt be buried in a good 
old age." 

The Christian character of General Jackson is seen 
in his reply to Commodore Elliott concerning the sar- 
cophagus, or marble tomb, which had once been pre- 
pared for an eastern king or emperor. Commodore 
Elliott had brought from Asia this sarcophagus, and 
presented it to the National Institute at Washington, 
that through the National Institute it might be pre- 
sented to General Jackson. The officer who present- 
ed it to the Institute, remarked, "It is believed to 
have once held the remains of Alexander Severus, 
and it is a fit resting-place for all that is mortal of An- 
drew Jackson." 

Commodore Elliott wrote to General Jackson, and 
the following is his reply : — 

u j} q- "Hermitage, March 27, 1845." 

"Your letter of the 18th instant, together with 
the copy of the proceedings of the National Institute, 
furnished me by their corresponding secretary, on the 
presentation, by you, of the sarcophagus for their ac- 
ceptance, on condition it shall be preserved, and in 
honor of my memory, have been received, and are now 
before me. 



RECOLLECTIONS OF GEN. JACKSON. 81 

" Although laboring under great debility and affliction 
from a severe attack, from which I may not recover, I 
raise my pen and endeavor to reply. The steadiness 
of my nerves may, perhaps, lead you to conclude my 
prostration of strength is not so great as here expressed. 
Strange as it may appear, my nerves are as steady as 
they were forty years gone by ; whilst, from debility 
and affliction, I am gasping for breath. 

" I have read the whole proceedings of the presenta- 
tion, by you, of the sarcophagus, and the resolutions 
passed by the board of directors, so honorable to my 
fame, with sensations and feelings more easily to be 
conjectured than by me expressed. The whole pro- 
ceedings call for my most grateful thanks, which are 
hereby tendered to you, and through you to the presi- 
dent and directors of the National Institute. But with 
the warmest sensations that can inspire a grateful heart, 
I must decline accepting the honor intended to be be- 
stowed. I cannot consent that my mortal body shall 
be laid in a repository prepared for an emperor or a king. 
My republican feelings and principles forbid it ; the 
simplicity of our system of government forbids it. 
Every monument erected to perpetuate the memory of 
our heroes and statesmen ought to bear evidence of the 
economy and simplicity of our republican institutions, 
and the plainness of our republican citizens, who are 
the sovereigns of our glorious Union, and whose virtue 
is to perpetuate it. True virtue cannot exist where 
pomp and parade are the governing passions ; it can 
only dwell with the people — the great laboring and 
producing classes, that form the bone and sinew of our 
confederacy. 

•'For these reasons I cannot accept the honor you, 



82 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

and the president and directors of the National Institute, 
intended to bestow. I cannot permit my remains to 
be the first in these United States to be deposited in a 
sarcophagus made for an emperor or a king. I again 
repeat, please accept for yourself, and convey to the 
president and directors of the National Institute, my 
most profound respects for the honor you and they 
intended to bestow. I have prepared an humble depos- 
itory for my mortal body beside that wherein lies my 
beloved wife, where, without any pomp or parade, I 
have requested, when my God calls me to sleep with 
my fathers, to be laid — for both of us there to remain 
until the last trumpet sounds to call the dead to judg- 
ment, when we, I hope, shall rise together, clothed 
with that heavenly body promised to all who believe 
in our glorious Redeemer, who died for us, that we 
might live, and by whose atonement I hope for a 
blessed immortality. 

" I am, with great respect, 

" Your friend and fellow-citizen, 

"ANDREW JACKSON. 
" To Com. J. D. Elliott, United States Navy." 

This letter is among the last productions of his pen. 
His death soon followed. I hope yet to see the above 
letter beautifully printed, on fine material, handsomely 
framed, and kept in some conspicuous place in the 
house of American families, for the instruction of chil- 
dren and children's children. 

Christian people of America ! bless the name of 
God, that he has given you a president who was not 
ashamed to speak of " our glorious Redeemer, who 
died for us, that we might live;" "the sounding of 



RECOLLECTIONS OF GEN. JACKSON. 83 

the last trump, to call the dead to judgment ; " and his 
" atonement," through whom we " hope for a blessed 
immortality." 

The death of the worthy old general furnished a fine 
illustration of the sustaining power of the gospel when 
earthly comforts wither and die. " Henry," said he to 
a highly-valued young friend who was attending in his 
room — " Henry, when we have lived as long as we can 
be useful to others, and as long as we can enjoy life 
ourselves, we should be willing to go at our heavenly 
Father's call. That is now my condition. I have lived 
long ; but, now the frailties of age are upon me, I can 
no more be useful to my friends. Indeed, I can only 
be a burden to them. I can no longer be useful to the 
church of God. The pains of disease are upon me. I 
can no longer enjoy the bounties of Providence in life. 
What then ? It is time to die. My heavenly Father 
calls, and I trust I am ready to go." 

The physician who attended General Jackson on his 
death-bed, wrote a very instructive and powerful letter, 
describing the last parting scene in the Hermitage. 
The chamber of death seemed very near " the gate of 
heaven." The soul of the dying man was full of the 
hope of immortality, while he took an affectionate fare- 
well of the members of his family, the children, the 
servants, all who belonged to the household. He com- 
mended them to God in Christ — spoke with unwaver- 
ing confidence of life in heaven for the followers of 
the Redeemer. He then entered the cold stream of 
death, and was seen no more. 

" As some tall rock, that lifts his awful form, 
Swells from the vale, and midway leaves the storm, 
Though round its breast the rolling clouds are spread, 
Eternal sunshine settles on its head." 



84 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

With a few additional remarks I shall close this 
article. 

1. General Jackson, in theology, was a decided and 
thorough Calvinist. That sublime system of divinity, 
so clearly taught in the Holy Scriptures, and so accu- 
rately epitomized in the Shorter Catechism of the 
Westminster Assembly, was the joy and the rejoicing 
of his heart. His ordinary conversation abounded 
with references to the hand and counsel of God. 
When rehearsing facts that had occurred in his military 
or political life, he would repeatedly pause and say, " It 
was the hand of God." " Divine Providence ordered 
it so." "Such an officer was cut down; he was a 
noble man. I felt his loss much, but it was the 
hand and counsel of God." This continual reference 
to divine Providence, in all the events of life, was a 
strongly-marked feature of his conversation. I must 
here give an anecdote. An able jurist, born and edu- 
cated at the east, had emigrated to the west; and, by 
diligence and fidelity in his profession, he had become 
prosperous and popular. He was now a candidate for 
an important office, in a district where the popularity 
of General Jackson was absolutely overwhelming. It 
was well known that the candidate, whose friendship 
for Jackson was in the subjunctive mood, would most 
certainly be elected "to stay at home." It was indis- 
pensable to success that the voters should know before 
the election that the candidate was the friend and 
admirer of Jackson. Our jurist was very hostile to the 
doctrines of Calvinism. Indeed, I fear his hostility 
went further : for I had been told how he worried 
some young preachers, with sceptical objections to the 
Bible. I was thrown into his society not long before 



RECOLLECTIONS OF GEN. JACKSON. 85 

the election day. After a few moments' conversation, 
said he, " Calvinism degrades the human mind. I say, 
it degrades the human mind ! " 

" Yes, sir," was my reply — "yes, sir, Calvinism 
degraded your New England man Jonathan Edwards, 
as all Europe and all America confess, into the most 
distinguished theological writer who has ever put 
pen to paper in the English language. Both hemi- 
spheres maintain that Jonathan Edwards is unequalled 
among English theological writers. How Calvinism 
degraded him ! Again, Calvinism has degraded Gen- 
eral Jackson, as you maintain in all your public 
addresses, throughout your electioneering canvass, into 
the most eminent military and political man which the 
world has produced in the present age. How degrad- 
ing is the influence of Calvinism ! " 

2. General Jackson, in his intercourse with his 
neighbors and with society, was "the good man " and 
the perfect gentleman. It is to be regretted that heated 
politicians and crazy fanatics should be so successful in 
misrepresenting men and things, as to keep worthy 
citizens in one section of our country under injurious 
mistakes relative to their fellow-citizens in another 
section. Christianity, common sense, love to God, and 
benevolence to man, are the same, east and west, go 
where you will, throughout our great country. 

A few years ago, I had the privilege of sitting for a 
number of successive days in the senate chamber at 
Washington. I looked on Webster from Massachusetts, 
Wright from New York, Calhoun from South Car- 
olina, Barges from Rhode Island, Preston, a native of 
Virginia, Clay from Kentucky, Judge White from 
Tennessee, and all their fellow-senators ; and I said, 



86 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

" Be you Whigs or be you Democrats, be you from the 
east or from the west, from the north or from the south, 
any country on earth might be proud to call you her 
citizens. And I will rejoice that the beloved land 
where I was born, nurses in her bosom such a body 
of men." 

3. Let me close with repeating, that General Jack- 
son, from early life, was characterized by reverence for 
sacred things. He spoke reverently of the word of 
God, the house of God, the ordinances of God. He 
honored God in ivord. And God blessed him while he 
lived, and blessed him when he died. 



THE EAGLE AND THE GNAT. 87 



THE EAGLE AND THE GNAT. 



The following article was prepared for a highly prac- 
tical purpose. In the region where the author lived, 
that scriptural and sublime system of Christian doc- 
trine, denominated " Calvinism," was most bitterly 
assailed, and that too, in many instances, by persons 
who had taken no pains to have their minds expanded 
by searching the word of God. There is a curious 
fact here. The man who has never looked into a law 
book, knows that he is ignorant of law. The man 
who has never read a medical work, knows that he is 
ignorant of medicine. But the man who has neglected 
to read the Bible, is not equally conscious of his igno- 
rance on divine subjects. Tell that man of the " sov- 
ereignty of God," the "doctrine of election," or any 
kindred doctrine, and his heart will rebel against it at 
once. And he will be " wiser in his own conceit than 
seven men that can render a reason." The fact is, 
men are born with hearts opposed to the sovereignty of 
God, and the system of doctrine that maintains it. In 
this controversy, the depraved heart decides, and not 
the understanding. Now, when I have encountered 
persons who were eager for argument, while they evi- 
dently "loved darkness" and "hated the light," — 
persons who would " glory in their shame," while they 
were " willingly ignorant " of God's word and the 



88 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

sublime syste?n of eternal truth unfolded there, — I have 
sometimes rehearsed to them the story of " The Eagle 
and the Gnat;" and the result, generally, if it has not 
been conviction, has certainly been silence. 

The reader, if he chooses, may consider the ensuing 
story as an extract from " The Book of Nathan the 
Prophet," mentioned 2 Chron. ix. 29, detailing " the 
acts of Solomon first and last." A very valuable vol- 
ume, containing an authentic and instructive history 
of the times, but not being divinely inspired, it has 
been lost amid " the war of elements and the wreck 
of matter," which have intervened between the age 
Solomon and the present day. The following extract 
alone has come down to our time — a mere fragment, 
still floating on the waves, the only remaining memo- 
rial of the noble vessel that has perished forever. 

EXTRACT FROM THE BOOK OF NATHAN THE PROPHET. 

" When Solomon had completed that greatest work 
of his life, the building of the temple of God, on Mount 
Moriah, it excited much interest through a wide extent 
of country. Persons who had a highly cultivated taste 
for architecture — those who were fond of beholding 
fine specimens of the building art — - came from far, and 
feasted their eyes on this beautiful house. And while 
they gazed, they spoke one to another of the immense 
blocks of white marble that appeared in the wall, the 
tall pillars that rose in front of the building, the symme- 
try and the splendor of Solomon's Porch, and, indeed, 
the grandeur, the consummate proportions, and the un- 
paralleled perfection of the entire edifice. 

" But the fame of this wonderful house not only 



THE EAGLE AND THE GNAT. 89 

spread among the children of men into distant lands, 
— it attracted also the admiring gaze of other orders of 
creation, as will appear from the following narrative. 

11 A broad- winged eagle, a mighty prince among the 
feathered nations, had taken an extensive excursion 
through the regions of the air, and chanced, in his 
flight, to pass over the Mountains of Judea. Turning 
his eye to survey the city of the great king, he beheld 
the newly erected temple, adorning the topmost height 
of the Hill of David. Captivated with the surpassing 
beauty of the building, he at once paused in his rapid 
flight, steadied and balanced himself on his wide- 
spread wings, and resolved to take a full and satisfac- 
tory survey of this majestic temple. That part of the 
building which fronted the south was now directly 
before him, "and the clear, comprehensive eye of the 
delighted eagle could take in the whole structure s from 
turret to foundation stone.' The grandeur of its noble 
outline, the perfect proportion and exquisite finish of 
each and every part, together with the matchless sym- 
metry of the whole, excited the highest admiration. He 
then moved slowly round to the east, and then paused 
a while and viewed the temple from thence. He then 
viewed it from the north, and then again from the 
west. Having at length feasted his eye with a survey 
of the temple on every side, the monarch of birds 
resumed his lofty flight, and while indulging in vast, 
exalted conceptions of the wisdom of Solomon, the 
projector and the builder of this marvellous house, he 
directed his course to the summit of the tallest cliff of 
Mount Carmel. 

" No sooner had he arrived there, than the birds, 
ever glad of an opportunity to cheer and honor their 
8* 



90 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

king, began to cluster in musical circles around him. 
But the eagle appeared reserved, thoughtful, and 
wrapped up in the meditations of his own mind. But 
as the smaller birds, who were very anxious, and indeed 
impatient, to receive his notice, kept perpetually 

Giggling, ogling, bridling, 
Turning short round and sidling, 

the eagle at length, with mingled gravity and affec- 
tion, addressed them thus : — 

" ' My children, think it not strange, that, since my 
return, I have been less prompt than usual to sympa- 
thize with you in your amusements and your joys. I 
have just returned from beholding a spectacle that has 
strangely engrossed all my thoughts, and in the con- 
templation of which I have experienced, in an unusual 
measure, astonishment and delight. I allude to the 
splendid, majestic temple, which the wise king of Israel 
has just completed on the Mountain of Moriah, to the 
honor of the name of the great God. I have travelled 
through the length and breadth of Egypt, acknowl- 
edged among all the nations as the " cradle of the arts." 
I have seen her towers, her temples, and her pyramids. 
I have visited also Nineveh and Babylon, now at the 
zenith of their glory ; I have beheld their cloud-capped 
towers and gorgeous palaces. Yet nothing erected by 
the hand of man has ever come before my eye that 
will compare, in perfection of beauty, with the temple 
which King Solomon has built at Jerusalem for the 
worship of the God of his father.' 

" The eagle ceased. There was something in his 
tone and manner that effectually silenced, for the time, 
the throng of feathered warblers by whom he was sur- 
rounded. 



THE EAGLE AND THE GNAT. 91 

" A great oak was standing near, and in the rough 
bark which formed its outer covering was sticking a 
small snail-shell. The original inhabitant had left it 
fastened by a little slime to the bark of the oak. It 
was empty, smooth, transparent, and exceedingly small. 
A little gnat, distressingly inflated with self-conceit, had 
found this untenanted mansion, and, in the vagaries of 
his diminutive mind, had determined to pitch upon the 
deserted snail-shell for his own habitation. He ad- 
mired its glassy smoothness, its twirling fashion, and its 
many adaptations to his convenience and comfort ; and, 
when snugly housed there, he regarded himself as one 
of the most prominent and important citizens that could 
be found in all the lofty ranges of Mount Carmel. 
This little gnat, puffed up with inordinate self-esteem 
and vain glory, was sitting near the entrance of his 
cell, and heard the description given by the eagle 
of the magnificent temple of Solomon. Having un- 
bounded confidence in his own superior capacity as a 
judge of architecture, while he entertained serious 
doubts as to the capacity of the eagle, he at once 
determined to go to Mount Moriah, and examine the 
building for himself. Having made every necessary 
arrangement, he set off on his momentous mission, sing- 
ing along as his little wings fanned the air. And 
although neither bird nor beast took any notice of his 
movements, or had the slightest idea that he was gone, 
yet such were his vast conceptions of his own dignity 
and weight in the community at large, that he doubted 
not but that his departure on this journey would be 
chronicled among the memorable events in the history 
of the hill country. 

" After a most fatiguing flight, the little gnat, dilated 



92 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

with immense imaginations concerning his great critical 
powers, arrived at the far-famed temple. But, alas! 
when he attempted to scan and survey the mighty 
structure, his little eye had no capacity to perform the 
task. The vast building rose before him in its length, 
its breadth, its height, and all its majestic proportions, 
while the diminutive gnat, so contracted were his 
organs of vision, could only view a single point of the 
stupendous edifice. Undaunted, however, and swollen 
with self-esteem, he set forward in his work of exam- 
ination. 

" ' What huge, misshapen mass is this?' exclaimed 
the indignant gnat, as he crawled over an immense 
block of white marble, in the west wall of the temple, 
on which the eagle, a little before, had gazed with 
astonishment and delight. ' It must be entirely out 
of proportion. One cannot find its termination in any 
direction. What a shapeless, unwieldy mass it must 
be ! ' Then moving on a little farther, he encountered 
a pimple near the size of a pin's head : this, of course, 
had been unnoticed hi the comprehensive survey of the 
eagle. But here the agitated gnat started back with a 
gesture of horror. ' Most uncouth irregularity ! The 
back of my hand to the wisdom of Solomon, and his 
masonry, too, if this is a specimen of his proficiency in 
the art of building ! ' A little farther on, and he found 
a joint where two great blocks of marble came together : 
a very fine hair could not have entered the crack ; but 
to the tiny eye of the purTed-up gnat it seemed a 
mighty opening. l Heyday ! ' he exclaimed ; i what 
a frightful chasm is here ! yawning caverns ! yawning 
caverns ! ' Thus the conceited and self-important 
gnat went on, discerning none of the higher beauties 



THE EAGLE AND THE GNAT. 93 

of the temple, because of his total incapacity to take 
an enlarged view, but stumbling on numberless objec- 
tions, the existence of which were entirely owing to 
the pitiful contraction of his own powers of vision. 
Presently he declared ' that his taste was outraged and 
his patience exhausted ; that the whole building was 
unworthy of criticism ; and that he should leave it in 
disgust.' 

" On his return to Mount Carmel, he alleged posi- 
tively, that the statements of the eagle were false and 
deceptive ; that he himself had given the whole 
matter a thorough examination, in the conducting of 
which he had drawn extensively on the resources of 
his intellect and the treasures of his learning, and that 
the grand results of his investigation were the fol- 
lowing : — 

" 1. That fame, which has gone forth into all lands, 
pronouncing the temple an unparalleled building, is a 
liar. 

" 2. That the claim of Solomon, and his coadjutors, 
Hiram the widow's son, and Hiram king of Tyre, to 
be regarded as great master builders, is all humbug. 

" 3. That the Queen of Sheba, and her very great 
train, ' with camels that bore spices, and very much 
gold, and precious stones,' came from the uttermost 
parts of the earth on a fool's errand. 

" 4. And finally, that the little, glassy snail-shell, in 
which he, the selfsame illustrious and memorable gnat, 
had taken up his abode, is a structure incomparably 
superior to the far-famed, consecrated house, which 
Israel's king had built on the Mountain of Moriah." 



94 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 



ELIJAH AND THE CARMELITE; 



THE EVILS OF RAIN. 



The following article was written and published in the 
year 1835. It first appeared in " The Cincinnati Jour- 
nal and Luminary," then edited by Rev. Thomas 
Brainard, now pastor of the Third Presbyterian Church, 
in the city of Philadelphia. The history of its origin is 
the following : From the year 1825 till the year 1832, 
the God of grace had blessed portions of his church in 
the United States with precious revivals of religion : 
perhaps from '28 till '31, they were most extensive and 
powerful. Near this latter date, " Letters on Revivals " 
were published, in which "cautions," "indiscretions," 
and " evils," were marvellously conspicuous. If any 
thing was said in favor of revivals, it seemed to be 
only in order to prepare the way for a doleful enumer- 
ation of " excesses," "extravagances," "mischievous 
disorders," of which the venerable brother doubtless 
had either heard or dreamed. Now, the church is suffi- 
ciently prone to " leave her first love," and become 
cold and dull in the cause of God ; but when this sad 
tendency is aided and aggravated by letters or lectures 
from respectable ministers, the results are distressing. 



ELIJAH AND THE CARMELITE. 95 

Alas for a drowsy church, when subjected to an undi- 
luted dispensation of the nightmare ! 

Most of us can remember, when we were children, 
how close we would cluster around a kitchen fire, 
while a superstitious old nurse told her favorite ghost 
stories — "rawhead and bloody bones ; " "sheeted spec- 
tres, taller than life, walking by moonlight through the 
lonesome graveyard ; " " murdered men, seen at mid- 
night, moving in solemn procession, each one carrying 
his head under his arm," (fee, &c. I have seen chil- 
dren shuddering while they listened to such stories, 
until each one was afraid to look over his shoulder, 
and yet more afraid to go into a distant room to bed. 
And, after all, the poor old superstitious granny had 
never seen a ghost in all her life. Now, in like man- 
ner, — if small things may be employed to illustrate 
things that are great, — I have seen the church terrified 
with " ghost stories " about revivals, until she was 
almost afraid to move in any good enterprise ; and the 
narrator in the latter case had seen just about as many 
" spectres " as in the former. 

That man whose ministry God has never honored 
with revivals, may be a useful and important man in 
the church. He may render services that are valuable 
in other departments of ministerial effort. But he 
should publish neither " letters" nor " lectures " on 
revivals ; because that, in this as in other matters, 
experience teaches many things, of which the inexperi- 
enced are necessarily ignorant. 

I cannot set this subject in a stronger light than by 
giving the following anecdote of Dr. Nelson : He had 
been laboring in the west, with great earnestness, to 
convert men to God. He would select a solemn 



96 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

passage of Scripture, and prepare a sermon, and then 
go and preach that sermon, expecting, through the pres- 
ence and power of the Holy Spirit, to convert sinners 
to God, as certainly as the strong axe-man who goes to 
work with a sharp axe, and is conscious of his depend- 
ence on God, expects to cut down the forest-trees. In 
the midst of these arduous and delightful labors, Nelson 
was grieved to see a series of " letters on revivals," 
issuing from the study of a professor who had long 
been mewed up in the seclusion of a seminary. The 
author was a worthy man, qualified to give instructions 
on a subject which he understood, but an entire 
stranger to revivals of religion, so far as his own min- 
istry was concerned, and likely to remain so ; while, 
in the kingdom of God's grace, appropriate causes are 
necessary in order to produce certain effects. 

But the "letters on revivals!" Lackaday ! They 
abounded in proof of the position of John Bunyan, 
that the old prince of darkness, in warring against man's 
soul, surrounded the town with an army of twenty thou- 
sand " doubters " ! And they doubted at ear gate, and 
doubted at eye gate, and doubted at every gate, till 
finally they doubted the gates open, and doubted the 
whole town into the possession of the great adversary 
of God and man. 

Dr. Nelson's heart was filled with sorrow that such 
disastrous influences should emanate from such a quar- 
ter. But what can a plain, western man do, when a cold, 
blighting stream of " east wind " comes sweeping over 
the garden of the Lord, chilling and nipping the tender 
plants, and freezing all before it ? Alas for the 
churches in the west, when 
overspread with mist and darkness ! 



ELIJAH AND THE CARMELITE. 97 

Such was the attitude of things when Nelson made 
a visit to the east. He was walking along a street in 
one of the principal cities, when he discovered an 
extensive bookstore. At one side of the door, on a 
broad sheet, was an advertisement in large letters, 

" Dr. on Revivals, for sale here." At the 

other side of the door hung a similar advertisement, 

" Dr. on Revivals, for sale here." Nelson 

paused, surveyed the broad sheets for a moment, then 
stepped into the store, and, addressing the bookseller, 
said, " Have you got here the Treatise of the Emperor 
Nicholas of Russia on the proper method of cultivating 
Cotton and Sugar-Cane ? " 

" Why n-no," said the bookseller, drawling out the 
answer ; " we have not got it, and I should think that 
Nicholas, out in the far north, among the snows of 
Russia, would be likely to know very little on the 
subject, as, most certainly, he has never seen a plant 
of either cotton or sugar-cane." 

11 Well," continued Nelson, " have you got the 
Dissertation of President Boyer of Hayti on the Proper 
Method of building Ice-Houses ? " " No," replied the 
bookseller ; " and there again, I should think that Boyer, 
in the West Indies, having never seen ice, would be a 
most unsuitable person to attempt to write a disserta- 
tion on the subject." 

" Ah ! " said Nelson, turning towards the door, " I 

see that you have " Dr. on Revivals," and I did 

not know but that you might have those other works. 
Good morning, sir." 

The reader now will readily understand the position 
of things in the church, which called forth the dialogue 
between " Elijah and the Carmelite." The article has 
9 



98 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

gone through many newspaper editions. It is now 
presented to the public in a permanent form. 

The reader will perceive that the great drought, in 
Elijah's day, most probably took place long after the 
close of the earthly pilgrimage of " Iddo the seer." 
But if the prophet Daniel saw, in vision, the great 
contest between the Persian Ram and the rough Mace- 
donian Goat, which occurred ages after the good 
prophet had slept with his fathers, who will object to a 
similar privilege being granted to the author of " The 
Visions of Iddo " ? This article, at its first publication, 
was introduced by the following note : — 

" Brother Brainerd, — 

•'Many of our wise and worthy men have labored 
much to put our church on her guard against the evils 
that have attended revivals of religion ; and many of 
our talented and substantial ministers have become so 
watchful and prudent in guarding against these evils, 
that in large sections of the church, revivals have 
ceased altogether. Now, I am not going to debate 
with those who act on the principle, that the best way 
to guard against going wrong, is not to move at all, and 
that the surest mark of being sound in the faith, is to 
be sound asleep. But I think it would be well for the 
friends of revivals — - and those writers are careful to tell 
us they are such — to take some pains to count over the 
blessings, as well as the evils, that attend them. I think 
also that good might be done if some of the fathers 
would write a series of letters on the evils of universal 
stupidity and spiritual death in the church of the 
living God. 

" The following article your readers may, if they 



ELIJAH AND THE CARMELITE. 99 

choose, regard as an extract from the book of ' The 
Visions of Iddo the Seer.' It is not long since we 
had from the east the announcement that the long-lost 
book of Jasher has been found. Now, if we in the 
west have recovered from oblivion the book of the 
Visions of Iddo, it is but another proof of the progress 
of discovery and improvement of the present age. 

J. G. 

EXTRACT FROM THE BOOK OF "THE VISIONS OF IDDO 
THE SEER." 

" The sins of Israel had found them out. The terri- 
ble scourge foretold by Moses was upon them — ' Thy 
heaven that is over thy head shall be brass, and the 
earth that is under thee shall be iron. The Lord shall 
make the rain of thy land powder and dust.' The 
brooks were dried up, and the streams of the rivers had 
failed : for three years and six months there had been 
no rain upon the earth. The fowls of heaven and the 
flocks and herds of the field were crowding, in meagre 
and famishing multitudes, along the dry channel, in 
search of water, or, panting and reeling over the dusty 
plain, were dying under the action of intolerable thirst. 
In the city, the moan of the starving mother was an- 
swered by the scream of starving children : there was 
no water, there was no bread. The green earth was 
faded ; the flowers were withered and gone. The 
fields, once beautiful with rising corn, now appeared 
scorched and desolate ; and even the tall forest trees, on 
the sides and summit of Mount Carmel, stood leafless 
and dreary, as the prophet of God went up from the 
place of sacrifice to the top of the mountain to pray 
for rain. He cast himself down upon the earth, and 



100 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

cried to the Lord God of Israel to have mercy on his 
people, and send them the showers of heaven, that they 
might live and not die. He felt deeply for those that 
were perishing. He knew that none but God could 
help, and he prayed with that earnestness and importu- 
nity that takes no denial. 

" While Elijah was thus engaged, he was approached 
by one who had long dwelt in a cave in the side of 
Mount Carmel. He was a tall, lean, hard-featured figure, 
whose visage was strongly marked with expressions 
of fretfulness and fault-finding — one of those ' mur- 
murers and complainers ' who habitually overlook the 
good in the kingdom of nature and the kingdom of 
grace, and fix their minds only on what they consider 
the evils. Inefficient and worthless himself, as to any 
useful enterprise, the labors of his life had been to 
decry and hinder the usefulness of others. He had 
evidently been a sufferer during the long and destruc- 
tive famine, for he appeared shrivelled and shrunken 
in both soul and body ; but his sufferings had not pro- 
duced in his heart self-abasement toward God, nor had 
they awakened emotions of kindness and compassion 
for wretched, dying men. As Elijah now paused in 
his prayer, and bade his servant ' go up to a lofty peak 
of the mountain, that rose to a great height, and look 
towards the sea,' if there were any evidences of a cloud 
rising, he was thus addressed by the old Carmelite : — 

" l Prophet of God, I find you are praying earnestly 
for rain. Now, I am a friend of rain. I approve of rain ; 
that is, when rain comes as it ought to come, and as it 
might come. But I have known many sore evils con- 
nected with rain in this country j yes, evils at the 
very thought of which my heart is in agony. And 



ELIJAH AND THE CARMELITE. 101 

you, prophet, should be very cautious and prudent how 
you pray for rain, lest these distressing evils should 
again befall us.' 

" Elijah. The evils of rain! certainly your fears 
have taken a strange direction ; you had better be dep- 
recating the evils of drought. Don't you see how the 
earth is scorched with intense heat ? Every green 
thing is burned up, the animals dead and dying, while 
Famine is stalking, ghastly and grim, from house to 
house, and from city to city. Nothing but the mercy 
of God, speedily granting the showers of heaven, can 
arrest the desolation, and prevent the universal extinction 
of life ; and yet you are harrowing up your mind with 
horrible apprehensions of the evils of rain. 

" Here Elijah turned away from the old man in 
anguish of spirit, and threw himself prostrate before 
the Lord ; and his urgent prayer that the awful judg- 
ment might be turned away from Israel was continued, 
till his servant came back from looking towards the sea, 
and said, ' There is nothing.' 'Go again,' said Elijah. 
The servant went, and the old Carmelite resumed his 
discourse. 

" 'Prophet of God, I wish you to understand me. I 
am decidedly in favor of rain. I think highly of it. In 
fact, I wish we might have more rain than we have ; 
that is, rain of the right kind ; such, for example, as 
they had in the good old days of our fathers, when 
rains were of a much better description than they have 
been of late. Indeed, in the early part of my own life- 
time, I have seen rains that were far preferable to the 
rains we have had during the last fifteen or twenty 
years. And, prophet, this is a subject on which I have 
a right to be heard, for I have been persecuted by the 
9* 



102 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

people of the land. While I have been warning them 
against the evils of rain, they have taken up an opinion 
that I am opposed to rain altogether. This I consider 
downright persecution.' 

" Elijah. Warning them against the evils of rain ! 
Surely you have not been thus engaged during the last 
three years and six months. 

" Carmelite. Surely I have. Why, prophet, there 
were so many deploring the prevalence of drought, and 
expressing anxiety for rain, that I saw there was danger 
of their not being sufficiently cautious and prudent ; 
and while I heartily approve of genuine rains, — those, I 
mean, that are under proper regulations, and rightly 
conducted, — I wish to put the people on their guard 
against rains that are spurious, and do more harm than 
good. I have turned my attention, therefore, with 
particular interest, to the evils with which the rains in 
Israel for some years back have been attended. 

" Elijah. Well, you are a curiosity, beyond a doubt. 
There has not been a single drop of rain in all the land 
for three years and six months ; we are wading to the 
knees in dust, starving for water and for bread, and the 
awful drought threatens to make the whole land a 
desolation ; and yet you are fuming and fretting, and 
raving round the country, warning the population to 
guard against the evils of rain. You strongly remind 
me of an absurdity that I have often seen among a 
certain class of prophets, who have greatly troubled 
Israel. I have seen one of these prophets go to a peo- 
ple that were sunk in stupidity and spiritual death, and 
preach and expatiate on the evils of excitement. There 
is great absurdity in warning a people who are be- 
numbed and torpid, and three fourths dead, against the 



ELIJAH AND THE CARMELITE. 103 

dangers of excitement. I felt constrained to rebuke 
one of these but a day or two since. His people were 
as cold as the cliffs of Mount Carmel. He was declaim- 
ing on the ' evils of excitement ! ' Said I, < Infatuated 
man ! do you not see that your people are chilled to 
the heart, by your freezing ministry? Both you and 
they are colder than the clods of the valley : why, 
then, declaim against excitement ? There is no danger 
from that quarter while you are their instructor. You 
had far better exert yourself to warn them against 
being spiritually frost-bitten ! There is the real danger ! ' 

" Carmelite. Prophet, I wish you to understand me. 
Uh ! uh! (coughing.) I have been lecturing — uh ! 
uh ! — lecturing and laboring — uh ! uh ! uh ! — amidst 
trials and difficulties — uh ! uh ! — almost choked with 
the dust — uh ! uh ! uh ! — that seems to be flying 
in all directions — uh ! uh ! uh ! — trying to impress 
the people with a sense of the vast importance of guard- 
ing against the " evils of rain." 

" Elijah. Yes, the whole atmosphere is burdened, 
almost to groaning, with dense clouds of dust, produced 
by this dreadful drought ; and you yourself are choked 
to the very verge of suffocation ; and moreover you are 
withered, shrivelled, and shrunken into the likeness of 
a mere skeleton, by that frightful monster famine, that 
is scattering desolation round the land ; and yet such 
is the wretched perversion of your mind, that instead 
of realizing the true cause of all this distress, you are 
boggling and boisterous about the 'evils of rain.' 

" ' Wonderful infatuation ! Carmelite, interrupt me 
no more.' So saying, he turned and addressed his cry 
to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that he 
would remember his covenant, and have mercy on his 



104 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

people. Here his servant returned the second time 
from looking toward the sea, and said, ' There is noth- 
ing.' 'Go again,' said Elijah, and continued his fer- 
vent prayer. 

" The old Carmelite, finding that the prophet would 
consume no more time in listening to his murmuring 
and complaining, addressed himself to the servant of 
Elijah, whom he followed back and forth, as he went, 
now to look toward the sea, and then to report to his 
master the result of his observation. 

" ' Servant of Elijah, while your master is praying 
for rain, and you are looking out for evidences of its 
coming, it is my duty to warn you of the evils you 
are likely to bring on the house of Israel. Not that I 
am opposed to rain, for I think well of it ; that is, real 
rain, such as Israel had in days of old. Ah, if we could 
have such rains now as they had in the days of Moses, 
and Joshua, and Samuel, I should be among the first 
to welcome and rejoice in them. Those were blessed 
rains, and blessed days to Israel. O, if Elijah would 
only pray for such rain as they had then, how heartily 
would I unite with him, and hold up his hands ! But 
these transient modern rains that he is praying for, the 
fact is, I cannot abide them.' 

" Servant. And is not rain essentially the same 
thing now that it was in the days of Moses, and Joshua, 
and Samuel ? I must caution you in my turn : beware 
of that spirit which eulogizes the prophet that is dead, 
and persecutes the prophet that is living. Think not 
to exalt Moses while you scowl at Elijah j for one spirit 
animated them both. 

" Carmelite. Not at all, not at all : the rains in 
the time of Moses and the fathers were widely differ- 



ELIJAH AND THE CARMELITE. 105 

ent from what they are of late. I can enumerate a 
dozen evils connected with modern rains. 

" Servant. Ah, that is a small business. The merest 
cobweb-man can find fault, raise objections, and make 
himself troublesome. A man may excel in that line, 
and yet be himself utterly worthless, indeed ' worse 
than worthless.' But, Carmelite, can't you join with 
the prophet Elijah in his prayer ? Here is a perishing 
population all around you — millions of people at the 
very door of death. We must have help from Heaven 
very soon, or it will be too late. Come, join with the 
prophet, and wrestle in prayer for the showers of 
heaven, that the many ten thousands of Israel may live 
and praise the Lord. 

" Carmelite. I doubt the ■ discretion ' of Elijah. 

" Servant. How ! What is that you say ? You 
doubt the discretion of Elijah ? 

" Carmelite. That is precisely what I said. Now 
you shall hear my reasons. Very shortly before Elijah 
passed the door of my cave, on his way up the moun- 
tain, I was told that he had very recently been engaged 
in some singular innovations. 

u Servant. Ah ! What innovations ? Give the par- 
ticulars. 

" Carmelite. Why, it was reported that he had built 
an altar of twelve stones, and that he made a trench 
about the altar. And then he put the wood in order, 
and cut a bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, 
and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the 
burnt sacrifice and on the wood. ' And he said, Do it 
the second time. And they did it the second time. 
And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the 
third time. And the water ran about the altar ; and he 
filled the trench with water.' Is this true? 



106 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

" Servant. True, every word true. 

" Carmelite. Well, it was further reported that he 
then prayed earnestly to the God of Israel. ' And then 
the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacri- 
fice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and 
licked up the water that was in the trench.' And when 
all the people saw it, they were so powerfully affected, 
that they fell on their faces ; and they said, < The Lord 
he is the God ! The Lord he is the God ! ' Now, is 
this report true ? 

" Servant. True to the letter. 
, " Carmelite. There must have been great danger of 
1 excitement ' among the people, in view of such 
scenes. But it is further reported that Elijah said unto 
them, ' Take the prophets of Baal ; let not one of them 
escape. And they took them ; and Elijah brought 
them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.' 

" Servant. That history is also true. 

" Carmelite. The prophet Elijah must then be will- 
ing to agitate the people and produce 'excitements.' 
I have no confidence in his 'discretion.' But you 
have interrupted me, and broken the thread of my dis- 
course. I wished to speak of some of the 'evils of 
rain.' 

" Servant. Well, then, go on, in your own way. 

" Carmelite. Well, in the first place, rain, in modern 
times, does not come as it ought to come ; it ought to 
come as a blessing. The face of heaven should be mild 
and smiling, and calculated to inspire the hearts of men 
with cheerfulness and joy ; then all would welcome 
the rain with perfect unanimity, and the serenity and 
harmony of families and neighborhoods would not be 
interrupted by it. Instead of this, I have seen the 



ELIJAH AND THE CARMELITE. 107 

black cloud roll up its pitchy volumes in the north-west, 
and throw its terrible shadow across the heavens : 
earth was shrouded in darkness, its pale inhabitants 
quaked with terror, and many have been driven to 
absolute distraction. Yes, these evils I have seen in 
connection with modern rains. 

"2. When the rain descended, it did not come in 
soft and gentle distillations, so as gradually to water 
the earth to make it bring forth and bud ; but I have 
seen it violently poured down from the rent cloud in 
foaming cataracts, so as to tear up the earth, wash off 
the soil, and do great injury. 

" 3. Many modern rains have brought from the 
clouds such an immense discharge of water, that the 
streams were swollen above their banks, the plains 
were overflowed, fences, stacks of corn, flocks and 
herds have been swept away and destroyed : it was all 
done by rain. Such calamities never were known to 
happen in dry weather. 

" 4. I have also known, along with modern rains, 
gusts of wind that unroofed the buildings, prostrated 
the fruit trees, and strewed the face of the country 
with havoc and devastation. Can any one deny that 
these are great evils ? 

" 5. It is also well known, that in connection with 
modern rains, there have been flashes of lightning and 
peals of thunder of awful character — the tall oak and 
the majestic cedar have been shivered to atoms ; the 
barn and the mansion house have been set on fire and 
binned to the ground, and in many cases human life 
has been destroyed in a moment. Who would not 
prefer perpetual drought to rains attended with such 
immense evils ? Nor is this all ; for, 



108 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

" 6. I have known modern rains come quite out of sea- 
son, and the ripe harvest was greatly injured, and the 
mown grass was totally destroyed by excessive and 
unseasonable rains ; and further, 

" 7. I have observed, with an accuracy that could 
not be mistaken, that rains, after all that has been said 
in their favor, actually nourish rank and noxious weeds. 
Yes, thorns, thistles, briers, brambles, and innumerable 
pernicious plants, are unquestionably nourished by rain. 
In proof of this, see how clean the fields are now — not 
a hurtful weed to be seen within the whole enclosure. 
Ah, it is because we have had no rain for three years 
and a half to make such weeds grow and thrive. 
That is the true reason. 

" Servant. But the wheat is all burned up, too. 
The scorching drought, that has destroyed the weeds, 
has also consumed every vegetable that is valuable. 

" Carmelite. Well, well ; 1 am not talking of wheat. 
I am speaking of the noxious weeds that rain produces. 
But as you mention wheat, I will tell you what I have 
observed on that subject, and this will be evil number 

" 8. The rain, if it makes the wheat grow, makes 
the chaff grow too. I have noticed, in seasons when 
we had rain, that in close connection with the wheat, 
there were quantities of chaff; not a grain of wheat 
could you find, but there was chaff on the very same 
stalk. Let the advocates of rain deny this, if they 
can. And further, 

" 9. Modern rains are very transient in their influ- 
ence. I have seen the ground become as dry a few 
weeks or months after the rain, as it was before it fell. 
I tell you, that is one of my strongest objections to 
modern rains : they are transient ; the ground will 



ELIJAH AND THE CARMELITE. 109 

actually get dry after it has been moistened by 
them. 

" Servant. Then you need another shower. 

" Carmelite. Ah, there is where you are wrong. 
If we had the right kind of rain, its influence would 
not pass away so soon. Rain did not dry up thus in 
the days of Moses and the fathers. 

" Servant. I have read the history of Moses, and if 
you will compare Ex. xv. 1 — 18, with the 24th verse 
of the same chapter, and the 3d and 4th verses of 
chapter xvi., you will find there were some sudden 
droughts then, as well as in later days. 

" Carmelite. But I have a tenth objection. I have 
known the health of many worthy citizens ruined by 
rain. In fact, many diseases, such as rheumatisms, 
coughs, consumptions, &c, are promoted by rain. O, 
if men could be persuaded to dwell on the top of Giboa, 
where there is no rain, neither any dew, what delight- 
ful health they might enjoy ! 

u Servant. Stop, Carmelite! stop, I beseech you! 

They had now just reached the top of this lofty peak, 
for the seventh time, that looked out toward the sea. 
The servant, in a sudden transport of joy, seized the 
Carmelite by the arm, and pointed eagerly to the south- 
western horizon. ' Behold, Carmelite, behold, on the dis- 
tant verge of heaven, don't you see a little object rising 
there, like " a man's hand " ' ? The Carmelite looked for 
a moment in the direction the servant pointed. Presently 
unwonted paleness overspread his long, lean, leathern 
visage. His frame began to tremble, and his knees 
to smite one against another. ' That looks very much 
like a cloud ! ' he exclaimed in accents of troubled 
agitation. ' Ah, yes, I see. It is spreading alarm- 
10 



110 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

ingly ! It throws its volumes abroad in all directions ! 
We are threatened with rain ! My cave ! My cave ! My 
only chance for shelter is in my cave ! ' And suiting 
the action to the word, he hurried down the mountain, 
and darted into his cave. There, in its deep and 
gloomy recesses, he brooded over the awful condition 
of the country, and wrung his hands, and exclaimed, 
' Alas ! alas ! how imminent is the danger ! The 
day is darkened ! The sun is eclipsed ! The black 
clouds are over the entire face of heaven ! Just what 
I apprehended and dreaded ! But the prophet Elijah 
was so self-willed and obstinate that he would listen 
to no reason, no remonstrance ! There ! there ! ' he 
cried out, as he heard the roaring of ' a great and 
strong wind that rent the mountains, and brake in 
pieces the rocks,' ' There ! there ! my worst fore- 
bodings are realized ! I said there would be wind ! 
How wide the desolation will spread ! But an indis- 
creet prophet can't be managed. There's no making 
him " judicious." Eh! Eh!' he suddenly shrieked, 
in a sharp, shrill outcry, as a bright blaze of lightning 
kindled up all the mountain side, and glared into the 
cave of the Carmelite, so as to make every object, for 
a moment, distinctly visible. ' There's the lightning ! 
there's the lightning ! and next we shall have the 
thunder peal that will make the mountain tremble. 
And the rain has already begun. Yes, I hear it, I 
hear it. It's pouring down ! It's pouring down ! 
There goes a foaming torrent, dashing impetuously and 
raving by the very door of my cave. I warned Elijah 
faithfully of all this, but he was deaf to counsel. It 
was all in vain ! It was all in vain ! ' 

" Thus the old Carmelite continued to writhe, wring 



ELIJAH AND THE CARMELITE. Ill 

his hands, and pour forth lamentations during all 
the while that there was the sound of an abundance 
of rain.' He remained close in his cave for a number 
of days, brooding over the horrors of the alarming 
visitation that had come upon the country in answer 
to the prayer of Elijah. The evils, the evils of rain ! 
When, at length, he ventured forth, vegetation was 
every where springing up ; the fields were clothed in 
living green ; all nature was rejoicing, — 

' For the queen of the spring, as she passed o'er the vale, 
Left her robe on the trees, and her breath on the gale.' 

The lambs were leaping for joy, the tuneful birds filled 
the groves with melody. Happy families were send- 
ing presents and congratulations one to another. Age 
smoothed its care-worn brow to bless the Lord, while 
children clapped their little hands, and sung, ' Hosanna.' 
u But as for the Carmelite, none of those things moved 
him. The evils of rain was the theme of his medi- 
tation, and burden of his tongue. He passed from 
farm to farm, inquiring whose field had been injured 
by the washing rain, whose roof had leaked, who had 
been caught out in the shower, who had taken cold, 
or had a cough, or rheumatic pain aggravated ; and 
from the facts he collected, he was greatly strengthened 
in his notion about the evils of rain, and could declaim 
on the subject more eloquently than ever." 



112 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 



STAGE-COACH DISCUSSION 



In the month of October, 1838. a company of travellers 
were passing in a stage-coach from Vicksburg to Clinton, 
in the state of Mississippi. Among the passengers was 
a minister of the gospel, and a gentleman who was then 
a member of the legislature of that state ; a senator, I 
believe. And now, for a number of years past, he has 
been a senator from Mississippi, in the congress of the 
United States. 

The free and desultory conversation in the stage 
turned at length on the subject of religion. When the 
following dialogue, in substance, took place : — 

Senator. I understand that you are a minister of the 
gospel. 

Minister. Yes, sir. 

Senator. There are some things in the Bible which 
to me appear difficult of comprehension. I should 
be pleased to hear your explanation, if you have no 
objections. 

Minister. None at all. But let me ask, have you 
studied the Bible ? 

Senator. Well — why — perhaps not so much as 
I should have done. 

Minister. Are you not then unreasonable ? That 
book relates to eternity. It treats of subjects of im- 
measurable importance. You have given it but little 



STAGE-COACH DISCUSSION. 113 

attention, and yet wonder that you do not comprehend 
all that it contains. You act not thus in other matters. 
Here is a man who never spent one half week of his 
life in attempting to acquire a knowledge of mathemat- 
ics. He takes up a volume of Euclid ; he looks into 
it for a little time, and then objects, — " Here are points, 
lines, angles, circles, triangles, &c. I cannot compre- 
hend their meaning." You would say to him, " Sir, you 
have not given that book the attention which its impor- 
tance demands. It is not strange, therefore, that you 
do not comprehend its contents. If -you will turn your 
thoughts to it, and bestow upon it the proper amount 
of study and of time, you will behold truth, beauty, 
grandeur, in those very figures that now appear un- 
meaning and mysterious." 

" But, perhaps," said the minister to the senator, 
" you were going to specify the particular difficulty that 
you have encountered in the Bible." 

Senator. I was about to mention the passage in 
the book of Joshua, where Joshua commands the sun 
and moon to stand still. 

Minister. And what is the particular difficulty 
there ? 

Se?iator. To speak of the sun standing still, is not 
good philosophy ; for we know it is the diurnal revolu- 
tion of the earth that gives to the sun, and the moon, 
and the stars, their apparent motions. 

Minister. Certainly, sir ; and Sir Isaac Newton 
understood that altogether as well as we ; and yet 
he would speak of the sun rising, and the sun setting, 
the moon rising, and the moon going down ; and all 
philosophers talk thus when they wish to be under- 
stood. The Bible uses the language common to man. 
10* 



114 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

It was designed to be understood. Allow me to say, 
sir, that you do yourself injustice in bringing forward 
an objection like this. It is not worthy of a philoso- 
pher. On the same ground, you would reject every 
almanac published in Europe and America. For all 
these almanacs not only speak of the rising and the set- 
ting of the sun and the moon, but they are very careful 
to point out the exact minute, when these unphilo- 
sophical absurdities take place. 

Senator. I did not intend to insist on this objec- 
tion. I have another, of a character more serious. 
Would not such a suspension of the rotary motion of 
the earth have introduced confusion, derangement, and 
ruin into the entire solar system ? 

Minister. Your question is this : When the master 
workman has completed every wheel, spring, lever, and 
minuter part of the perfect watch or clock, and put 
the machine together, and set it in motion, can he 
now stop the minute hand and the hour hand, for one 
half day, or one whole day, without introducing con- 
fusion and ruin into the entire structure ? Joshua 
u spake to the Lord in that day," and the miracle was 
performed by that hand which built the stupendous 
frame of nature. Surely the divine Architect can 
control the work of his hands as easily as an earthly 
mechanic. 

/Senator. Yet the narrative has something about it 
that strikes my mind as strange and incredible. 

Minister. That is owing to our limited and imper- 
fect knowledge in the present life. In the early 
history of what has been called the far west, there was 
a steamboat built, by the order of the government, for 
the purpose of exploring the Missouri River. The 



STAGE-COACH DISCUSSION. 115 

figure-head of that boat was fashioned like the head of 
an enormous serpent. It projected some distance in 
front of the boat, and then the body of the serpent 
seemed to wind down under the boat till it was lost 
from view in the water. The head and body of this 
serpent were painted with bright colors, — red, green, 
yellow, — in long streaks, so as to give it a very frightful 
appearance. The machinery was so constructed, that 
when the fires were kindled up and the vessel was in 
motion, the steam, smoke, and sparks were thrown out 
at the mouth of this serpent. In this style it moved 
up the Missouri River — a monstrous serpent, carrying 
the great boat on its back, breathing out steam, smoke, 
and fire in its progress. Indians, of the various tribes 
along the river, would come to the top of the bluffs 
that overlook the stream. They would gaze a moment 
or two in terror at the moving monster, then wheel 
and yell, and run for their lives. 

Now, how perfectly mysterious, to one of these un- 
tutored Indians, was the fact, that a skilful engineer, 
by simply turning a screw, can stop the action of that 
mighty machinery that throws the boat with such 
speed against the current of the rapid river, and by 
giving that screw a turn the other way, can put it all 
in motion again. 

The present life is but our birthday. We but 
"know in part," Ave but "see through a glass darkly." 
In a future state, no doubt, we shall see clearly how a 
mighty angel could stop the rotary motion of the earth : 
or take off the fury of the flame of Nebuchadnezzar's 
furnace, so that Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego 
could walk through the midst of it, without having a 
hair df their head singed, or the smell of fire upon their 



116 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

raiment ; or stop the mouths of the lions, so that Daniel 
could stay all night unhurt in their den. Indeed, there 
are beings above and around us now to whom these 
matters are just as plain as the mode of managing a 
mighty engine is to a skilful engineer. You remem- 
ber, doubtless, the beautiful lines of Pope — 

" Superior beings, when of late they saw 
A mortal man unfold all nature's law, 
Admired such wisdom in an earthly shape, 
And showed a Newton as we show an ape." 

Senator. But my great difficulty is yet untouched. 
I can't see that it was worthy of the great God to per- 
form such a miracle as this, merely to give one nation 
the advantage over another in battle. Can it be shown 
that this miracle, at that time, and in that connection, 
was worthy of the great God ? 

Minister. That is indeed the most important ques- 
tion that has yet been brought up. And I assure you 
that it admits of a most satisfactory answer. 

Senator. I shall be much gratified to hear a con- 
clusive answer. 

Minister. I think that three points can be estab- 
lished to your entire satisfaction. 

1. That there was then a critical juncture in the 
aifairs of men, which rendered it worthy of God to 
interpose and perform that miracle ; that the miracle 
itself was timely, appropriate, and highly instructive. 

2. That traditions have come down among heathen 
nations which show that such an event certainly took 
place. 

3. That the whole matter is in perfect unison with 
the elevated and sublime spirit of Bible religion. 



STAGE-COACH DISCUSSION. 117 

Senator. If these points can be established, the 
objection must certainly vanish. I will hear you 
patiently. 

Minister. It must be borne in mind that idolatry, 
the worship of false gods, was in that age the besetting 
sin of the world. Infidelity is a somewhat modern 
device of Satan. His great engine of destruction, in 
that age, was idolatry. 

Egypt, Nineveh, Babylon, all the wealthy and pow- 
erful kingdoms of the earth, had been carried away by 
this destructive and strong delusion. Idolatry had 
swallowed up the nations. It was triumphant north, 
south, east, and west. With the single exception of 
Israel, no nation had escaped the insnaring power of 
this master device of the prince of hell. The whole 
land of Canaan was deluged with this hideous delusion. 
The objects which they idolized were many, but the 
most notable were the sun and the moon, which they 
worshipped under the title of the king and queen of 
heaven. 

A memorable conflict between idolatry and the true 
religion, dates its commencement from the first mission 
of Moses to Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Many of the 
wonders performed in Egypt were designed to show 
that the idols of the heathen are nothing ; and that 
Jehovah, the God of Israel, is the living and the true 
God. It is essential that this be borne in mind, in 
order to a correct understanding of much of the Old 
Testament. The overthrow of Pharaoh and his mighty 
Egyptian army at the Red Sea, sent terror and trem- 
bling to the heart of the heathen world. They realized 
that it was a fearful thing to fall into the hands of 
Israel's God. The impression was so deep that it is 



118 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

found among the Philistines many ages afterward, as 
appears from 1 Sam. iv. 7, 8 : " And the Philistines 
were afraid, for they said, God is come into the camp. 
And they said, Woe unto us ! for there hath not been 
such a thing heretofore. Woe unto us ! Who shall de- 
liver us out of the hand of these mighty Gods ? these 
are the Gods that smote the Egyptians with all the 
plagues in the wilderness." 

As Israel journeyed from the Red Sea toward Canaan, 
the news of God's wonders among them ran ahead, 
and spread among the nations west of Jordan. At 
length, from their mountain tops and temple towers 
they began to catch a glimpse of that fiery pillar that 
glided slowly along in front of the hosts of the Lord. 
Next the immense moving multitude came in view, 
and the banner of each of the tribes could be distinctly 
seen. Presently the stream of Jordan is rolled back 
by an invisible hand, and banner after banner is seen 
going down on the eastern side into the channel, and 
soon banner after banner rises on the western shore. 
Jericho falls before them. City after city is overcome. 
Presently Gibeon, one of the royal cities, convinced of 
the folly of their idol worship, send and make a league 
with Joshua and with Israel, and acknowledge Jehovah 
as the only living and true God. " Thy servants are 
come," said they to Joshua, " because of the name of 
the Lord thy God ; for we have heard the fame of him, 
and all that he did in Egypt." (Josh. ix. 9.) This was 
a solemn profession of the true religion. They thus 
publicly renounced heathenism, and acknowledged 
Jehovah as the only true God. Now, " Gibeon was a 
great city, one of the royal cities, and all the men 
thereof were mighty." This was a tremendous blow 



STAGE-COACH DISCUSSION. 119 

to idolatry, and it roused to earnest action the advo- 
cates of idol worship in all surrounding kingdoms. 
" Wherefore Adoni-zedec, king of Jerusalem, sent unto 
Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jar- 
muth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir 
king of Eglon, saying, Come up unto me, and help me, 
that we may smite Gibeon ; for it hath made peace 
with Joshua and with the children of Israel. There- 
fore the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusa- 
lem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king 
of Lachish, the king of Eglon, gathered themselves 
together, and went up, they and all their hosts, and 
encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it. 
And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp 
to Gilgal, saying, Slack not thy hand from thy servants : 
come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us ; for 
all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the moun- 
tains are gathered together against us. So Joshua 
ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war 
with him, and all the mighty men of valor." Here is 
the most notable and eventful struggle on the field of 
battle which the annals of the world have witnessed 
between idolatry and the true religion. What were 
the leading idols to which these deluded Canaanites 
paid divine honors ? They were the sun and moon. 
To these they offered their profane adorations under 
the title of the king and queen of heaven. When man 
is in trouble, he calls upon his God. The fears excited 
among these idolaters by the wonders done by the 
God of Israel, of which they had been told, would lead 
them to call for help now on their supreme deities ; 
that is, on the sun and the moon. Breathing prayers 
to these, they mustered their armies ; and officers and 



120 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

soldiers, as they marched to the dreaded conflict, sent 
up their earnest petitions for help to the sun and to 
the moon. 

Now, what is that which a routed army, flying from 
a victorious foe, so much desires ? It is night x that 
under its dark covert the fugitive may elude his pur- 
suer. At the sanguinary battle of Waterloo, the Prus- 
sian army, commanded by Blucher, was strangely tardy 
in coming into the action ; and when the experienced 
eye of Wellington beheld the frightful waste produced 
by the columns of the French army, as, led on by its 
fiery marshals, they charged in terrible succession on 
the exhausted troops of England, " If that deadly 
charge continues ten minutes longer," he exclaimed, 
" I must order a retreat ! O that Blucher or night 
would come ! " Yes, night, the darkness of night, is 
that which a flying army preeminently desires. Be- 
hold now the scene on the field of Gibeon : the em- 
battled armies of the confederate kings, with courage 
inflamed by burning appeals from renowned warriors 
who lead them on, rush with headlong fury against the 
hosts of the Lord. Along the extended line, the strife 
of contending champions is stern and terrible. "We 
come, sustained by the gods we worship ! " cries Adoni- 
zedec, at the head of his army. " We meet you," answers 
Joshua, " in the name of Him who dried up the Red 
Sea! " " The sun and moon are our helpers and our 
gods ! " shout the heathen multitudes, making a des- 
perate onset. " My help cometh from the Lord, which 
made heaven and earth ! " replies Israel, repelling their 
legions, as the rock repels a thousand waves. Soon 
the scales of destiny begin to turn. Victory perches 
on the standard of Israel. And O, what confusion, 



STAGE-COACH DISCUSSION. 121 

terror, rout, and ruin have overtaken that idolatrous 
multitude ! a Hark ! that loud and lamentable cry ! that 
earnest, imploring prayer that bursts from myriads of 
agonized bosoms, "Ye sources of light, whom we 
have worshipped ! Sun and moon, to whom we have 
poured out our offerings ! Withdraw your rays ! with- 
draw ! withdraw ! let thick darkness cover us, that we 
may hide from the sword of our pursuers ! " 

Then spoke Joshua to the Lord ; and he said, in the 
sight of all Israel, " Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon ! 
and thou, moon, in the valley of Ajalon ! Throw your 
light around them ! Let there be no darkness nor 
mantle of night, under which the champions of idola- 
try may hide themselves ! Let the heathen nations 
know that Israel's God made and manages the sun and 
moon, and can make the very luminaries they have 
profanely idolized contribute to their overthrow ! " 
" And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until 
the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. 
Is not this written in the book of Jasher ? So the sun 
stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go 
down about a whole day. And there was no day like 
that, before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto 
the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel." 

There are now three particulars, in relation to this 
miracle, which I wish you carefully to consider. 

1. This miracle was worthy of God, and demanded 
by the circumstances of the occasion. It was peculiarly 
appropriate, timely, and instructive. The darkness and 
delusion that have come over the human soul constitute 
one of the most mournful results of man's rebellion. 
God has employed a "long cloud of witnesses" to 
testify divine truth to men. Patriarchs, prophets, apos- 
11 



122 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

ties, many of the brightest luminaries that have ap- 
peared in the intellectual firmament, have been thus 
employed for ages. When the Son of God came to 
earth, the first office in which he engaged was that of 
a teacher of righteousness. Long did he labor, that 
man might be delivered from spiritual darkness, and 
led to a knowledge of the truth concerning God. 
Now, I ask, was it worthy of Jehovah to employ such 
intellects as Enoch, and Moses, and Isaiah, that men 
might be delivered from fatal error, and brought to 
know the truth ? Was it worthy of God to send his 
only Son to earth, to preach at the sea-side, in the 
synagogue, and on the mountain, that blinded, erring 
man might come to the knowledge of the truth ? And 
was it unworthy of God to use any portion of that 
unconscious matter which his own hand had created, 
for the same great purpose ? Was it unworthy of God 
to make use of the flood, the fire, the earth, the sun, 
the moon, to sweep from the soul of man a most fatal 
delusion, and fasten there a conviction of that great 
truth which lies at the very foundation of all true reli- 
gion ? The more correctly we understand the actual 
characteristics of that idolatry which had bewitched 
and bewildered the nations of Canaan, the more clearly 
we shall see that in this " notable miracle " the God 
of Israel appears divinely wise, divinely good, and 
divinely glorious. 

2. Traditions have come down among the heathen 
nations, that can be accounted for only by admitting 
the reality of this recorded miracle. Authentic history 
among the Gentiles fails, by some thousand years, to 
reach back to the time of Joshua. Yet notable events, 
which were observed before the days of Hesiod and of 



STAGE-COACH DISCUSSION. 123 

Homer, have been handed - down from age to age by- 
tradition. Often, indeed, there is a great deal of fabu- 
lous drapery thrown around such events. But when 
you strip off the covering in which poets and sages 
have dressed it, the substance of the historical fact is 
there. Now, among their many traditions is found the 
following : Apollo being the god of the sun, it was 
his business to drive the chariot of the sun round the 
world every day, in order to give light to the inhabit- 
ants. The thing was done with great exactness and 
propriety while Apollo attended to it in person. But 
Apollo at length became the father of a headstrong, 
adventurous boy, whose name was Phaeton. A play- 
mate of Phaeton's insulted him, by alleging that his 
mother had deceived him as to his parentage, and that 
Apollo would not own him as his son. Phaeton, full 
of anger and vexation, hurried to the palace of Apollo, 
and demanded, " Do you, Apollo, acknowledge me as 
your son ? " 

" I do," answered Apollo. 

" What proof will you give that you own me ? " 
asked Phaeton. 

" I will give you any proof you may desire." 

" Swear to that by an inviolable oath," said Phaeton. 

Apollo accordingly took the inviolable oath. 

" Now, Phaeton, what do you ask ? " said Apollo. 

" I ask," said Phaeton, "the privilege of driving the 
chariot of the sun round the world for one day." 

" Alas ! Phaeton," said Apollo, u you know not what 
you ask. It requires all my strength and skill to man- 
age the fiery horses. It is utterly beyond your strength." 

But Phaeton was inflexible, and the oath of Apollo 
inviolable. So Phaeton is the driver for one day. Ovid 



124 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

says that Phaeton succeeded tolerably well in driving 
up the ascent of the morning, till the sun reached his 
noonday station. But when it became necessary to 
commence the descent by Which the sun might go 
down, the horses became restive, unmanageable, and 
all Phaeton's efforts were wholly unavailing. The sun 
strangely remained in the heavens, and refused to go 
down ; and the heathen poet, after enumerating many 
disasters that ensued, uses almost the very language 
of the book of Joshua, that " there was no day like 
that day." 

Now, strip off the drapery which the poet's imagina- 
tion has thrown around this matter, and come to the 
facts of the case. What ever put it into the head of a 
heathen sage to get up a story like this ? Evidently 
the fact, that there was one extraordinary day in which 
the sun strangely refused to go down, as on other days. 
And heathen sages, attempting to account for the sin- 
gular phenomenon according to their philosophy and 
their mythology, very naturally came to the conclusion, 
that the right driver was not engaged on that day, and 
that the reins, and the management of the chariot of 
the sun, had been intrusted to inexperienced and in- 
competent hands. This heathen tradition is a marked 
and strong confirmation of the miracle, as recorded in 
the book of Joshua. Had no such interruption of the 
sun's course ever taken place, we should never have 
heard this tradition. 

3. This command of Joshua is in perfect unison 
with the elevated and sublime spirit of Bible religion. 
" Hallowed be thy name ! " is the first petition in our 
Lord's prayer. The most important end that any created 
object can answer, is to honor and glorify God. 



STAGE-COACH DISCUSSION. 125 

The song of the church in heaven is, " Thou art 
worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power ; 
for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure 
they are and were created." The song of the church 
on earth is, " Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord 
from the heavens ; praise him in the heights. Praise 
ye him, all his angels ; praise ye him, all his hosts. 
Praise ye him, sun and moon ; praise him, all ye stars 
of light. Let them praise the name of the Lord ; for 
he commanded, and they were created." Of this reli- 
gion the soul of Joshua was full to overflowing. He 
had beheld the wonders of God in Egypt ; he had 
witnessed that great transaction at the Red Sea. The 
river of Egypt had honored God, and blushed itself to 
blood when smitten by his rod. The Red Sea had 
honored God when it made a way for his people. The 
clouds of heaven had honored God when they sent 
down the manna. Mount Sinai had honored God with 
her smoke and her flame when the Lord descended 
upon it in fire. The earth had honored God when 
she opened her mouth at his command, and swallowed 
up Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Jordan had honored 
God when it rolled back its tide, and stood in a heap 
at the approach of the ark of his covenant. Joshua 
had seen all this, and rejoiced that unconscious Nature 
honored her God. And now, when the heathen army 
approached, bearing on their banners profane devices 
of the sun and moon which they have idolized, the 
soul of Joshua was roused, and he calls again upon 
unconscious nature to honor the great God. We are 
reminded of the language of Christ, when the Phari- 
sees called on him to rebuke the disciples who were 
speaking his praise. " He answered and said unto 



126 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, 
the stones would immediately cry out." The same 
spirit was in the prophet when he said, " The stone 
shall cry out of the wall, and the beam from the timber 
shall answer it." 

The appeal of Joshua may be paraphrased thus : 
" O Sun ! O Moon ! Can you bear to have your Maker 
dishonored and blasphemed ? Can you bear to look on 
and see stupid, rebellious man change the glory of the 
incorruptible God into a lie, and worship and serve the 
creature more than the Creator ? Remonstrate ! re- 
monstrate against such awful profanation ! Stand still, 
in the midst of heaven ! Shine to your Maker's praise ! 
Witness to all these deluded nations, that you are up- 
held and controlled by a hand that is divine." The 
sublime religion which animated the heart of Joshua 
taught him that the glory of God is the highest good 
of the universe, and that the best use that can be made 
of earth or ocean, sun or moon, is to have them pro- 
claim the wisdom, the power, the grandeur, the su- 
premacy of the great, eternal God. And hence, when 
Joshua gave this notable command, he was acting in 
perfect harmony with this elevated and divine religion. 
I close with two remarks. 

1. We are not surprised that " Israel served the Lord 
all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the eldeis 
that overlived Joshua." The very companions of such 
a man would shed a wholesome influence around them 
as long as they lived. 

2. Joshua witnessed more of God's wonderful works 
than any mere man who ever lived. He saw most, or 
all, of the miracles performed by Moses. He beheld 
the works of Israel's God in Egypt, at the Red Sea, 



STAGE-COACH DISCUSSION. 127 

at Mount Sinai, and throughout the wilderness. And 
then, when Moses was dead, he led the tribes into 
Canaan, and saw God's wonders there. He nobly 
sustained his part in life, through a long series of years, 
and well deserves an honorable rank among "the great 
men of the Bible." 

At this point the stage passengers separated, as earthly 
travellers must. What effect was produced on the mind 
of the senator, the writer has not had opportunity to 
learn. The substance of the conversation is inserted 
here, with the hope that it may aid others to under- 
stand this notable passage in the Bible. 



128 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 



THE SKELETON PREACHER, AND THE 
CONGREGATION OE DRY BONES. 



EXTRACT FROM AN ANCIENT JEWISH RECORD. 

The valley was wide, long, and very capacious, but 
the reign of desolation was there. The green grass 
had spread no carpet over the ground ; neither plant 
nor flowering shrub was to be seen ; nor did the tall 
forest tree, lifting up its majestic form toward heaven, 
there wave its beautiful branches in the breeze, or cast 
its refreshing shade around. The naked earth had long 
been baked and scorched by the rays of a torrid sun. 
No living form was seen in that deserted and desolate 
field. Every beast of the forest kept aloof. Nor was 
it approached by one of " the cattle upon a thousand 
hills." Even the birds of the air shunned it, as they 
are said to have shunned the lake of Sodom, and the 
very winds of heaven appeared paralyzed and power- 
less when they came to the confines of this kingdom 
of the dead. 

The valley was " full of bones ; and behold, there 
were very many in the open valley ; and lo, they were 
very dry." (Ez. xxxvii. 1, 2.) While I gazed on the sad 
scene before me, my ear was caught by a strange, un- 
earthly voice. " I am the pastor of this congregation," 
said the voice ; " this day is the seventieth anniversary 



THE SKELETON PREACHER. 129 

of the commencement of my ministry among you, 
and now I am about to preach again." 

I turned to see the speaker, and behold there stood 
up in the midst of the valley a ghastly skeleton of dry 
bones. Its naked, fleshless condition gave it the ap- 
pearance of unusual tallness, and the long bones on 
which it stood, and of which it was composed, ap- 
peared extremely dry. The ribs had a bleached and 
wasted aspect, from long exposure in the open plain. 
The skull was bare and weather-beaten, and the empty 
sockets, where eyes should have been, had a frightful, 
ghastly look ; the teeth were all exposed, and extreme- 
ly white. Sometimes he stretched out his long, flesh- 
less arm and hand, and then every bone was distinctly 
seen. Sometimes he brought his hand to his side, and 
then his dry fingers would rattle on his naked ribs ; 
and then, again, he would clasp his hands, while the 
bones would clatter and clank one against another. 
How he could speak without the use of lungs, or lips, 
or tongue, I could not tell ; but there was a strange, 
sepulchral hollowness in his voice, and his articulation 
had a supernatural and horrible distinctness. 

As he turned his head to address the different parts 
of his congregation, the naked skull harshly grated 
and creaked on the dry neck bones ; yet there was an 
air of gloomy satisfaction in the manner of this skele- 
ton preacher, while he surveyed the multitude before 
him, as if their situation delighted him much. A hag- 
gard expression of approval looked out through the 
hollow sockets of his eyes, and there appeared on his 
naked cheek-bone the dim counterfeit of a ghastly 
smile. 

" O ye dry bones," he exclaimed ; " this is the anni- 



130 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

versary of my profitable and acceptable ministry among 
you. It is therefore highly proper that we should mu- 
tually rejoice together ; yea, that we should mutually 
rejoice in each other ; for few preachers have had such 
a congregation, and few congregations have had such a 
preacher. 

" O ye dry bones, on this joyful occasion you must 
allow me to speak freely. I must go into particulars, 
and rehearse the many things in your present prosper- 
ous and promising condition, that afford me rapturous 
delight. 

" First, then, O ye dry bones, I am in raptures 
while I contemplate you, because you are so steady. 
Steadiness and stillness are well known as the attri- 
butes of profound attention, and thus you bestow the 
highest encomium on your esteemed and beloved pas- 
tor ; for what congregation have been so long composed 
and orderly, under stated and regular ministrations, as 
you have been under mine ? For the term of seventy 
years, you have been entirely steady, and still, no one 
of you has moved the breadth of a hair. It is true, O 
ye dry bones, that a superficial observer might ascribe 
your stillness to a want of life. Indeed, when I have 
been boasting of my charge, and telling abroad how 
calm and composed my congregation continue, not- 
withstanding the surrounding agitations of a troubled 
and tumultuous world, it has been broadly hinted to 
me that my church is dead, utterly dead, and that the 
stillness there is the stillness of death. But, O ye dry 
bones, none of these things move me. I scorn calumny 
and misrepresentation. I maintain that we are con- 
servative ; not dead, but highly conservative. A mere 
itinerant preacher, or transient visitor, cannot judge of 



THE SKELETON PREACHER. 131 

your state as your judicious and experienced pastor 
can ; and he puts a very different construction on the 
collected calmness and regular habits that have charac- 
terized you through a long series of years ; yea, the 
stability and composure that reign among you are the 
joy of his heart, and the theme of his daily exultation. 
But I must proceed to the 

" Second characteristic. O ye dry bones, I am ex- 
ceedingly gratified with the uniformity that has long 
prevailed among you. Who has not heard that con- 
sistency is a jewel ? Now, O ye dry bones, you are 
consistent ; you are uniform in your habits ; i" ahcays 
know where to find you. An uncertain church I can- 
not bear. But here you are just in the same spot where 
you were seventy years ago, and just as dry. O, what 
a privilege to be the pastor of such a church ! and what 
a privilege for a church to have such a preacher ! The 
1 fits and starts,' that have agitated many other churches 
— the 'spasmodic awakenings,' that have disturbed 
them — have never affected you in the least, since the 
happy day of my installation as your pastor. You 
have slept on, O ye dry bones, and taken your rest, 
from month to month, and from year to year. Indeed, 
such has been your admirable uniformity, that if I were 
called on to say which year of my popular ministry 
among you has been most notable for sound sleeping, 
and motionless, stagnant inactivity, it would be hard 
to make the selection. 

" In this respect, O ye dry bones, you have been a 
constant source of comfort and consolation to me. It 
must be confessed, that our lot has fallen to us in the 
midst of a restless and agitated world. The kingdom 
of nature, I am sorry to say, is sadly out of joint. I 



132 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

have no doubt that it is in consequence of the fall ; 
but I find that the wheels of nature and the wheels of 
time have a mighty propensity to be in motion. In- 
deed, I am continually disturbed by departures from 
that standard of excellence, which we have long since 
set up in our 'model congregation? The changes of 
morning and evening, noon and night, are to me ex- 
ceedingly annoying. How much more desirable would 
it be to have uniformity ! And as light is fleeting and 
transient in its very nature, I should give my voice for 
the establishment of the kingdom of perpetual, unmiti- 
gated night. I long for uniformity. The clouds of 
heaven, also, appear restless, and fond of flitting about : 
one day they are driving over the face of the sky, and 
another day wholly out of sight. We have fair weath- 
er and foul, clear days and cloudy, wet days and dry 
days. I am perplexed with mutability in the kingdom 
of nature. I have heard of a happy period, in days of 
old, when there was no rain for three years and six 
months. What delightful uniformity the seasons must 
have had at that time ! How happy the lot of those 
who lived in that day ! But now the earth is distracted 
with successive changes. The streams are, at one 
time, so low as to show the pebbles at the bottom ; 
and then they will rise, and overflow all their banks. 
The restless ocean is ebbing and flowing every day, 
and the earth itself is constantly varying. Scarcely 
has winter subdued the vegetable kingdom, and estab- 
lished its reign, when spring bursts forth, and sends 
out its buds, and wakes its flowers, and throws its 
green robes over 'hill, and dale, and mountain-peak.' 
And then summer comes, with its harvests, and au- 
tumn, with its fruits. Alas for the mutability that 



THE SKELETON PREACHER. 133 

prevails in the world! Were it not, O ye dry bones, 
that you have been in no condition to travel, 1 should 
long since have proposed that I and my church would 
emigrate to the north — to the region of perpetual ice 
and snow. I learn that there is delightful uniformity 
in that country. No bud, or leaf, or blossom vegetates 
there, from age to age. Happ3^ they who dwell in 
that sweet clime. Ah, the sweetest, beyond all doubt, 
on which the sun is permitted to shine ! But we have 
not been in a condition to emigrate ; and therefore, O 
ye dry bones, allow me to say, as your honored and 
much-esteemed pastor, that when I have been vexed 
and tortured with the changes and revolutions in the 
natural world, I have found comfort and consolation 
when I have turned to you. Ah, such delightful uni- 
formity ! Here you are, perfectly motionless and cold 
and dry ; yes, as dry as you were seventy years ago. 
Admirable congregation ! Surely your pastor may 
exclaim, * To me the inheritance has fallen in marvel- 
lously pleasant places.' 

" Thirdly. O ye dry bones, another feature in your 
condition I regard as peculiarly favorable : that is, you 
are so entirely free from animal excitement. Long 
experience and extensive observation have convinced 
me that the living principle, the moving principle, is 
the dangerous principle ; and I have found the perfec- 
tion of prudence among dry bones. Never have I 
known a dry bone take a hasty step, make a rash, in- 
discreet movement, or put forth precipitate and incon- 
siderate action. Ah, there is safety about dry bones ! 
And O that the world were warned of the danger of 
rash, hasty action, produced by animal excitement ! " 

Here I discovered, for the first time, a number of 
12 



134 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

shadowy forms flitting and bestirring themselves around 
the skeleton preacher. On closer observation, I found 
that they were skeletons, also, but so perfectly fleshless 
and bare, and the bones had such a slim, attenuated 
appearance, that they might have been mistaken for 
shadows. These, I learned, were volunteer helpers of 
the pastor — skeletons who spent their time in eulo- 
gizing and puffing him to the members of his congre- 
gation. They echoed his sentiments, and sung his 
praises. "Animal excitement!" they exclaimed all 
at once, as soon as the expression fell from the skele- 
ton preacher — " animal excitement!" Then each 
deputy or subaltern skeleton took off in his own direc- 
tion among the dry bones, repeating, " Animal excite- 
ment ! What a marvellous skeleton our pastor is ! 
how profound ! how talented ! how judicious ! Ani- 
mal excitement ! O ye dry bones, beware of animal 
excitement ! " Over the entire valley of dry bones 
could be heard the harsh, husky voice of the deputy 
skeletons — " Beware of animal excitement ! beware of 
animal excitement ! " It seemed a strange and need- 
less exhortation, for the bones were very dry. There 
was not a particle of flesh on them. There was not a 
fragment of sinew, nerve, or tendon. There was not 
a drop of blood, or a throbbing pulse, in all their thou- 
sands. One would have thought that a more appropri- 
ate exhortation would have been this: "Beware of 
mildew and total decay ! beware of being further 
bleached by the sleet, and snow, and hail-storms, to 
which you are exposed ! beware of being further 
parched and dried by the torrid rays, which pour down 
upon you in this naked valley ! " The skeleton pastor 
turned the hollow sockets in his dry skull, as if look- 



THE SKELETON PREACHER. 135 

ing after his deputy skeletons, who were so busy 
among the dry bones ; a glare of hideous satisfaction 
seemed to issue from those dark caverns, as he surveyed 
his helpers, and the ghastly smile on his naked cheek- 
bone assumed unwonted distinctness. After a moment, 
he resumed his discourse. 

" Talk as you will," he exclaimed, " the pastor who 
encourages the breath of life among his people will 
have trouble. No congregation is so manageable, so 
perfectly under the control of its pastor, as a congre- 
gation of dry bones. Show me a church whose mem- 
bers have flesh on their bones, blood in their veins, 
and a heart in their body, — a church whose members 
have eyes and ears, brains in their skull, a tongue in 
their head, and breath in their bosom, — and I will 
show you a church subject to excitements, and varia- 
tions, and ups and downs. Yes, such a church will 
have day and night, summer and winter, cold and heat, 
seed-time and harvest ; in short, there will be no end 
to their fluctuations. O ye dry bones, I must exult in 
your stability, your uniformity, your perfect exemption 
from < animal excitement,' through all the years of 
my ministry among you. Some pastors can only com- 
mend a part of their flock ; but I can commend you 
all. Though you are very many, yet you are very 
dry. You have all ' held your own,' and kept free 
from 'animal excitement.' Yes, I can witness in your 
behalf, that in all my seventy years' ministry among 
you, never have I been annoyed with breathing lungs, 
a beating heart, or a throbbing pulse ; no glow of heat, 
above that possessed by the granite rock, has passed 
over you ; never has there been a drop of blood in 
your veins, or a particle of flesh or muscle, sinew or 



136 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

nerve, upon you. O ye dry bones, you have chosen, 
with commendable unanimity, your beloved pastor as 
your pattern and your model ; and each bone of you is 
naked, and cold, and dry as his own ; and each skull 
of you as perfectly exempt from brains as the great 
example (modesty will scarcely surfer me to be thus 
particular) which you have chosen to copy. 

" Fourthly. Once more, O ye dry bones, permit me 
to say, that I admire your durability. Here you are, 
much the same as you were seventy years ago. Flesh 
will fall off, blood will run out, vital warmth will cool, 
and life itself will expire ; but ' dry bones ' hold their 
own admirably. Indeed, the only remains we have of 
the early ages are in the form of bones — some of 
them of most gigantic size. Had the antediluvian 
churches, like mine, been composed of ' dry bones,' 
only, they might have remained to this day. I should 
like to know how those troublesome preachers, who 
insist on having flesh on the bones, and blood in the 
veins, breath in the lungs, and life in the heart, would 
meet this argument. Ah, their churches cannot stand 
the test of time ! The heart may sicken, and the life 
that is therein may die, the breath may depart, the 
flesh perish, and the blood, also ; but the bones ! Ah, 
there is durability, especially when kept l very dry ' ! 
It is susceptible of demonstration, that the drier they 
are kept, the more durable they are. He that wishes 
his church to last, let him keep his bones ' very dry.' 

"It is certainly commendable in every preacher, O 
ye dry bones, to know himself. Indeed, ancient phi- 
losophers declare, that the maxim c Know thyself has 
been handed down from Jupiter. In this respect, O 
ye dry bones, I have the satisfaction to inform you, 



THE SKELETON PREACHER. 137 

that your own illustrious preacher has succeeded to 
admiration. He has mastered the mystery that so 
long puzzled the contemporaries of Samson ; that is, he 
has found out ' wherein his great strength lieth.' .He 
has ascertained, with the clearness of demonstration, 
that his enormous talent consists not so much in ability 
to do any good himself, as to find fault with what 
others do. By careful experiments, I have discovered 
that fault-finding is a business that can be set up on 
very small capital. There is little demand for intellect, 
learning, or piety, in order to set up the establishment 
of a fault-finder. Having made this valuable discov- 
ery, O ye dry bones, I at once invested all my available 
means in this business. I find that the delightful work 
grows upon my hands. It is peculiarly adapted to my 
genius. O, there is sublimity in fault-finding ! In- 
deed, it is a vocation itself. It demands all the energies 
of the mind. And hence it is not marvellous that those 
who excel in that business can do nothing else. No 
man, for example, can expatiate on the evils of revivals 
like the man under whose preaching revivals never 
take place. No man can dilate on the danger of spu- 
rious conversions like the man under whose ministry 
there are no conversions of any kind. Ah, give me a 
fabric of ' dry bones ' to creak, and clank, and cry out 
against ' protracted meetings, inquiry meetings, hasty 
conversions,' and all such things. Immortal honor to 
the memory of St. Jeroboam ! (1 Kings xii. 26 — 29.) 
" You must be aware, O ye dry bones, that this is a 
very delicate subject. Indeed r your worthy pastor has 
had to endure some very broad hints in the course of 
his labors. Some of these, in fact, have amounted to 
a perfect insinuation. When I have been declaiming 
12* 



138 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

against the indiscretions of others, impertinent persons 
have presumed to ask, what good I myself had done ? 
what kind of conversions had taken place under my 
preaching ? To such rude and unseasonable inquiries 
I have given but this one reply, < Ah, my friend, the 
less we say on that subject, the better.' 

" It will be acceptable to you, O ye dry bones, to 
hear, on this joyful anniversary, something of your 
esteemed pastor's experience and personal history. 
The history of your pastor, O ye dry bones, should be 
a source of comfort and consolation to a church in 
your advanced and enviable condition. I was once 
encumbered with flesh on my bones, and blood in my 
veins. I was once troubled with breath in my nostrils, 
and vital warmth in my heart. But a period came, 
when I was vexed by the discovery that the labor of 
other preachers was very successful. I felt the rising 
of envy and jealousy. I resolved to oppose revivals, 
especially such as took place under the ministry of 
others. In a short time, I had gone much further than 
I at first intended. I had invested all my stock in this 
business. I had become a regular revival-fighter. All 
that I could now do in relation to revivals was to find 
fault, raise objections, and expatiate on their evils. 
From that moment, my own ministry was smitten 
with barrenness ! Yes, my own ministry became 
bleak and desolate as the mountains of Gilboa, on 
which ' there is no rain, neither any dew ' ! From that 
moment, my flesh withered away, my blood dried up, 
my vitality departed, my skin cracked and fell off, my 
bones became bare and < very dry ; ' and I have since 
walked among the churches a naked skeleton, my 
bones i very dry.' Yet think not, O ye dry bones, 



THE SKELETON PREACHER. 139 

that I complain. I am much pleased with my present 
meagre and fleshless condition. It is a condition of 
great power ; and who does not love power ? Did not 
the seven ' lean kine,' in Pharaoh's dream, eat up the 
seven that were fat-fleshed and well-favored ? These 
lean cattle, meagre, famished, very ill-favored — ' Such,' 
said Pharaoh, ' as I never saw in all the land of Egypt 
for badness ; ' that eat up all that were better than 
themselves — were certainly very promising specimens. 
They were verging toward the condition of ' dry bones,' 
which I regard as absolute consummation. Ah, if you 
wish every thing that is well-favored, and lovely, and 
of good report, utterly eaten up, just set a skeleton ofj 
' dry bones ' at the work, and it will soon be done ! " 

Here the hideous monster paused in his discourse ; 
and in a paroxysm of greediness that was frightful, he 
snapped repeatedly around to the right and left with 
his dry, naked teeth, till the valley rang again. Pres- 
ently he resumed his discourse. 

" Another peculiarity, O ye dry bones, in the history 
of your esteemed pastor, is this : he has been absolutely 
stationary. For seventy years he has kept his place. 
Dry bones are admirable in this respect. There is no 
moving about in them. Many pernicious examples 
have been set in former days. There was one Abra- 
ham, that went out from his country, his kindred, and 
his father's house, in order to lead a religious life. 
What fanaticism ! Just as if there was any propriety 
in ' going into all the world,' in order to promote reli- 
gion. The fact is, that same Abraham seems to have 
been a very restless man. He went from Mesopotamia 
to Haran, thence to the land of Canaan, then down into 
Egypt, then back to Canaan, and then into the coun- 



140 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

try of the Philistines. It is reported, that he and his 
family ' confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims 
in the earth.' Some have maintained, that at these 
various points Abraham was laboring as a missionary, 
or as an evangelist. But one thing is certain : that is, 
he departed essentially from that model of perfection 
which is found in ' dry bones.' After Abraham, arose 
one Moses, a very unsettled man. Now he was in 
Egypt, now in Midian, and now in the wilderness. 
And even when in the wilderness, he repeatedly 
changed his place — a most injurious example. After 
Moses, arose one Samuel, who positively ' went in a 
circuit, from year to year, to Bethel and Gilgal, to 
Mizpah and Ramah,' performing in those places the 
duties of a public minister of religion. Nor was the 
example of Elijah one whit better. In him we find 
the adage verified, that the ruling passion is strong 
near the close of life ; for, just before his translation, 
he took Elisha with him, and went on religious errands 
from Gilgal to Bethel, from Bethel to Jericho, and from 
Jericho to Jordan. Such are some of the untoward 
examples, O ye dry bones, which your model preacher 
has had to counteract ; and although they have been 
not a little troublesome, yet he has been able to remain 
stationary, and keep his bones ' very dry.' I have 
been grievously annoyed, of late, by the prophecy of 
Daniel. He has been predicting, that in the latter day 
( many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be 
increased.' This Daniel must be an exceedingly in- 
discreet man, or he would not utter such predictions. 
They are calculated to disturb dry bones, in my con- 
dition. I am resolved to commence the business of 
prophesying, too. I am driven to it in self-defence. 



THE SKELETON PREACHER. 141 



My prediction is this : • In the latter day, many shall 
imitate the sublime example set by the clucking hen ! ' 
I have a right to use her as an illustration. Noah had 
his dove, Elijah had his ravens, and why should not 
the skeleton preacher be allowed his favorite bird ? 
That bird is the clucking hen. Ah, when I see her 
settle down on her own nest, and push every egg under 
her own wings, and then raise the feathers on the back 
of her head and neck, and peck at every one that comes 
near her, I am ready to exclaim, f There is true sub- 
limity ! there is an example worthy of all imitation ! ' 

" Again, O ye dry bones, your judicious pastor has 
rattled every dry bone in his skeleton frame, to keep 
down special effort in the church, revivals of religion, 
protracted meetings, and all such things. That blun- 
dering man Moses, before mentioned, instituted a num- 
ber of such meetings, which were attended with many 
and sore ' evils.' At the feast of the Passover, at the 
feast of Pentecost, and at the feast of Tabernacles, the 
people, in great numbers, came up to Jerusalem to 
worship, and continued their religious exercises for 
seven or eight days in succession. In the time of 
Hezekiah king of Judah, 'a very great congregation 
assembled at Jerusalem, and kept the feast of the Pass- 
over seven days.' And then l the whole assembly took 
counsel to keep other seven days ; and they kept other 
seven days with gladness.' (2 Chron. xxx. 23.) What 
extravagance was this ! If such measures are suffered 
to pass without rebuke, who can tell where the mis- 
chief will end? 

"St. Jeroboam, the son of Nebat — immortal honor 
to his memory ! — yes, St. Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, 
is the first man recorded in history who took a de- 



142 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

cided stand against protracted meetings, as ordained 
by Moses. ' And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now 
shall the kingdom return to the house of David. If 
this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the 
Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people 
turn again unto their Lord, even unto Rehoboam king 
of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Re- 
hoboam king of Judah. Whereupon the king took 
counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto 
them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem : 
behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out 
of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Bethel, 
and the other put he in Dan.' (1 Kings xii. 26 — 29.) 
The objection of St. Jeroboam to protracted meet- 
ings, was not that they would injure the great body of 
the people, but he feared that they might diminish the 
importance of a certain worshipful individual, whose 
aggrandizement he had very much at heart ; and rather 
than hazard any thing in that quarter, he ' took coun- 
sel,' and employed his utmost ingenuity to induce them 
to forsake the altar of God, and worship a calf. And I 
have known other instances, O ye dry bones, in which 
such meetings have been violently opposed, when the 
secret spring of action was anxiety to maintain among 
the people the worship of some object very little better 
than Jeroboam's calf. 

"Your judicious and venerable pastor, O ye dry 
bones, has opposed, both by precept and example, 
c sudden conversions,' • hasty admissions,' and every 
thing in that line. There has not been one conversion 
under my preaching, during the last seventy years. In 
all that time, there has not been a foot or a finger moved 
in any religious duty. Ah, it is delightful to observe 



THE SKELETON PREACHER. 143 

how long and how carefully duties are considered, 
before there is any movement toward obedience among 
' dry bones.' I have had immense success in holding 
back my congregation from precipitate action. St. 
Pharaoh — honor to his memory — was fully aware of 
the l evils ' of rapid accessions to the visible church. 
He commanded the old women in Israel, saying, ' When 
a son is born in Israel, then ye shall kill him.' Israel 
was then the visible church ; and finding that this edict 
did not destroy them fast enough, he charged all his 
people, saying, ' Every son that is born ye shall cast 
into the river.' (Ex. i. 16, 22.) Thoughtful, judi- 
cious, amiable St. Pharaoh ! He knew that the begin- 
nings of life in an infant are extremely tender and 
delicate. He knew — sound and discreet man—- that 
a withered old granny had strength enough to choke a 
young baby to death. Or, if that failed, he knew that 
the monsters of the river of Egypt could crush them 
between their hideous jaws. Even now, my mind 
delights to contemplate him in the noble stand that he 
took against the too rapid increase of the visible church. 
I behold him standing on the banks of the Nile, his 
venerable form drawn up to its full height, while he 
pours forth this sublime soliloquy : l Ha ! talk of 
Abraham's seed becoming countless as the stars of 
heaven ! talk of Israel being ' fruitful, and multiplying 
exceedingly ' ! Behold the fate of their children ! yes, 
the children of the church, over whose birth there was 
such exultation. See the quivering limbs of that one 
in the midst of the river, in the mouth of that vora- 
cious crocodile ! Why, the jaws of the huge monster 
and the waters all around are stained and gory with its 
blood. And I have the best authority for saying, that 



144 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

on land many infants who were born are dead. The 
life that was in them was so feeble, that a few minutes' 
choking, by a withered old granny, could stop their 
breath forever. The back of my hand to such boasted 
births in Israel as these ! ' Such was the soliloquy of 
St. Pharaoh, while he well knew that the destruction 
of the lives of these young Israelites was his studied 
and favorite aim. And sweet experience has taught 
me, O ye dry bones, that the most effective way to 
dishonor and disgrace a revival in the church is to 
choke the young converts to death, while the early 
dawn of spiritual life in them is yet tender and deli- 
cate. A naked skeleton preacher, who judiciously 
employs his ' dry bones,' can do much of this ; and 
then he can point to the destruction which he himself 
has made, and triumphantly exclaim, ' There is your 
revival ! there is the end of your converts ! ' Let the 
memory of St. Pharaoh be affectionately embalmed in 
the hearts of all revival-fighting ministers. 

" I must further observe, O ye dry bones, that I am 
delighted with your deliberation. You avoid agitating 
scenes and agitating subjects. You are deliberate. 
There is no sudden or rash movement with you. I 
understand that Ezekiel has been preaching about 
churches 'waking up,' -prodigals returning,' 'spiritual 
resurrections,' and things in that line. But, O ye dry 
bones, such things are agitating in their very nature. 
You have guarded against them. Ezekiel has been 
preaching that the angels in heaven rejoice when the 
wicked turn from their wickedness ; that the morning 
stars sing together when the dead awake to life. But, 
O ye dry bones, you have stood aloof from Ezekiel 
and all his enthusiasm ; you have let the angels and 



THE SKELETON PREACHER. 145 

the morning stars alone. No doubt they are doing 
very well, up where they properly belong. It would 
be very ' indiscreet ' to drag their attention down to 
earth, and tamper with their sensibilities. You have 
allowed the angels to sing their own songs without 
interruption, while you have remained admirably cold, 
and dead, and dry. And your beloved pastor has fully 
sympathized with you in all things. He has been 
cold among the cold, dead among the dead, and dry 
among the dry. 

" And beyond all this, O ye dry bones, it should be 
mentioned to your praise, that you have been delight- 
fully exempt from ' backslidings,' 'declensions,' and 
' falling away.' You know, O ye dry bones, how 
many churches, after seasons of revival, have been 
dishonored by ' backsliding ' among their members, 
1 declensions,' &c. From these * evils of revivals ' you 
have been marvellously free. The church which takes 
no forward step is proof against backsliding. Who 
ever saw blighted blossoms on trees that were dead 
and dry? I challenge investigation. What living 
church, for the last seventy years, has been so entirely 
free from cases of backsliding as my model church of 
1 dry bones ' ? 

" In the last place, O ye dry bones, another score on 
which you are entitled to commendation is this : you 
have been satisfied with my preaching, and have never 
gone to hear any one else. Some, it is true, have 
called me a dead preacher ; but I have not been too 
dead for you. You have been satisfied with my ser- 
mons. They have been uniform. None of them 
have made any impression on the audience : therefore 
they have had the charm and the graces of uniformity. 
13 



146 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

It is wearing on a minister to feel his subject, or to 
care about the salvation of his hearers. I say it is 
wearing. I have been most delightfully exempt from 
1 excitement ' on such subjects. I have kept perfectly 
cool, and have kept my bones ( very dry.' And 
beyond all this, let me declare, O ye dry bones, that 
the admirable condition in which you now are, is 
the result of my own ministry exclusively. / have 
called in no foreign aid. Your skeleton preacher ab- 
hors that practice, i" have allowed of no extra means. 
I have jogged on just in my own way. Can ye believe 
it, posterity ! By the dint of my own marvellous genius, 
I have kept my bones, and the bones of all my church, 
1 very dry.' O ye dry bones, you have kept around 
your own minister, and you have refused to run after 
transient men, itinerant preachers, missionaries, or evan- 
gelists. They talk about the duty of ' going into all 
the world ; ' but they have no business here. This is 
no part of the world. This is ' the valley of dry 
bones.' But ha ! what form is that approaching my 
congregation ? " Here the skeleton preacher raised 
his hollow eye-sockets, as if looking intently, and then 
exclaimed, "The prophet Ezekiel ! that fatal disturber 
of dead churches ; and he is coming here, as sure as 
my bones are dry ! " Here the skeleton preacher made 
a sign with his long, bony fingers, to the deputy skele- 
tons already mentioned ; for I learned that there was a 
certain kind of work that he wished to have done in 
his congregation, and he would set these subalterns at 
it, though he was rather afraid to risk his reputation by 
engaging in it himself. The deputies, having received 
the signal, darted speedily among the congregation of 
dry bones, clattering every where — " The prophet 
Ezekiel is coming ! Don't go to hear him ! He is a 



THE SKELETON PREACHER. 147 

mere transient preacher — only an evangelist. He has 
a few subjects on which he can preach tolerably well ; 
but he can't stay long in one place. He don't last 
like our admirable preacher of < dry bones ' ! " In 
this style these deputy skeletons were tattling and 
gabbling in all directions, when the whole valley was 
waked and electrified by the clear, strong, trumpet-like 
voice of Ezekiel — " O ye dry bones, hear the word 
of the Lord ! " And immediately there was a noise ; 
and behold there was a shaking, and the bones came 
together, bone to his bone. The skeleton preacher 
beheld these movements with the utmost alarm and 
perturbation. He stamped on the naked earth with 
his skeleton foot, until the dry bones clanked again. 
K Order ! " he exclaimed ; " I call to order ! This is 
my congregation. I will sanction no such measures 
as these. Order ! order ! I call to order ! " But the 
shaking went on, and the bones came together, bone 
to his bone ; and the prophet Ezekiel continued his 
address — " O ye dry bones,, hear the word of the 
Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these dry bones, 
1 Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye 
shall live ; and I will lay sinews upon you, and will 
bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and 
put breath into you, and ye shall live ; and ye shall 
know that I am the Lord.' " And while the prophet 
Ezekiel spoke thus, lo ! the sinews and the flesh came 
up upon them, and the skin covered them above ; but 
there was no breath in them. " Ha ! " exclaimed the 
skeleton preacher, " they are not alive, after all — a 
mere ' spasmodic movement ' — nothing but ' animal 
excitement.' I thought it would amount to this. 
Here's all our ancient order of things broken up, con- 



148 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

fusion and novelties introduced, and nothing gained at 
last — a mere ' spasmodic awakening ' — nothing but 
1 animal excitement. 7 " And here he gave the sign to 
his deputy skeletons — " Discredit it, discredit it, all 
you can." Away went the deputy skeletons through 
the crowd, tattling, " No revival ! no revival ! only 
spasmodic awakening ! nothing but animal excite- 
ment ! " But just now they were startled and stunned 
by the powerful voice of Ezekiel, with which the 
whole valley rang again — " Thus saith the Lord God, 
Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe 
upon these slain, that they may live ; " and lo ! the 
breath came into them, and they lived, and stood upon 
their feet — an exceeding great army. And there was 
glory to God in the highest. And there was the joy 
of life from the dead. The brother greeted the brother 
redeemed from the grave. The father hailed, blessed, 
and embraced the son. Glad angels spread their rain- 
bow wings over the enrapturing scene, and sung, " The 
dead is alive, and the lost is found." 

As for the skeleton preacher, he escaped from the 
living multitude ; then turned, and gazed over the 
scene with more than fiendish indignation. He 
gnashed and ground his naked teeth, struck his bony 
hand on the dry ribs of his breast, then turned, and 
set his face for the Yalley of the Son of Hinnom, else- 
where called Tophet, muttering, as he went along, 
" Yes, this is the result of the revival. I am unsettled. 
The relationship between me and this church is dis- 
solved. Perdition on such revivals ! This is the 
result of allowing such evangelists as Ezekiel to roam 
over the country, preaching. Perdition on such revi- 
vals ! Yes, I'm unsettled ; and now I must look out 



THE SKELETON PREACHER. 149 

for another location." As the skeleton preacher went 
muttering along toward the Valley of Tophet, he was 
met by one of the sons of the prophets, who perfectly 
understood the whole case. He was a plain, straight- 
forward, out-spoken man, ardently devoted to the cause 
of God and the salvation of men. He heard the mur- 
murings of the skeleton for a few moments, and his 
anger was kindled, and he thus addressed him : " Mea- 
gre, miserable skeleton ! are you raving and wrathful 
because your great congregation has awaked to life, 
and your control over them is at an end ? Do you 
think that the great Majesty of heaven planned the 
scheme of redemption in eternity, and established his 
beloved church on earth, for no higher object than that 
such a wretched rackheap of dry bones as you should 
be bolstered up in some comfortable location ? Do 
you think that all the wheels of creation, providence, 
and redemption should be stopped, for fear that such a 
foul, frightful scarecrow as you should be driven from 
its roost ! Wretched skeleton ! What madness has 
possessed thee ! What worse than demon has entered 
into thee ! Yes, you're unsettled, and deservedly so. 
You attempted to hurl back the Spirit of the Almighty. 
You lifted up your dry bones to resist the growing 
conquests of the glorious Immanuel. You're unset- 
tled ; yes, because you hated light, and hated life. 
You continued dead, and your bones very dry ; and 
you wished to keep all as dead and dry as yourself. 
Why did not you hear the word of God ? Why did 
not you awake to life ? Why did not you have flesh 
and sinews, and skin cover your dry bones ? Why 
did not you receive the breath of heaven, and live ? 
You might then have remained in the congregation 
13 * 



150 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

of the living. You are cast out, because there is no 
breath in you. Your bones are fleshless, frightful, 
and very dry. Avaunt, wretched skeleton ! " The 
chop-fallen skeleton preacher made no reply, but went 
on his way toward the Valley of Tophet. The en- 
trance of the valley was dark and dismal. Heavy 
clouds hung over it, and shut out the light of heaven. 
The exhalations of the valley arose like columns of 
ascending smoke, and from the depths within sounds 
issued like weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. 
The skeleton approached. His " ruling passion was 
strong " up to the very moment when he entered the 
gloomy vale. " This," he exclaimed, " verifies the 
doctrine I have maintained for years. The conversion 
of souls costs too much, and the resurrection of the 
dead costs too much. Here Pm unsettled. I must 
look out for a new location ; and there is little likeli- 
hood that I shall better my condition. Perdition on 
revivals ! Tell me not that God is honored, the Re- 
deemer glorified, sinners saved, the dead alive, the lost 
found, the angels rejoicing. What are all these things 
to me ? Here is an evil that outweighs them all — 
Pm unsettled ! Perdition on revivals ! " Muttering 
and blaspheming thus, while he gnashed his naked 
teeth, the skeleton plunged into the horrible valley, 
and I saw him no more. 



THE LITTLE AUGER. 151 



THE LITTLE AUGER AND KING 
SOLOMON. 



AN EXTRACT FROM THE " BOOK OF THE ACTS OF SOLO- 
MON," MENTIONED 1 KINGS XL 41. 

Now it came to pass, while King Solomon was build- 
ing the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, that very- 
many tools and instruments were employed, by the 
king in this great work. " And King Solomon raised 
a levy out of all Israel ; and the levy was thirty thou- 
sand men. And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thou- 
sand a month by courses ; a month they were in Leba- 
non, and two months at home. And Adoniram was 
over the levy. And Solomon had threescore and ten 
thousand that bare burdens, and. fourscore thousand 
hewers in the mountains; beside the chief of Solo- 
mon's officers which were over the work, three thou- 
sand and three hundred, which ruled over the people 
that wrought in the work. And the king commanded, 
and they brought great stories, costly stones, and hewed 
stones, to lay the foundation of the house. And Solo- 
mon's builders and Hiram's builders did hew them, 
and the stone-squarers : so they prepared timber and 
stones to build the house." "And this is the reason 
of the levy which King Solomon raised ; for to build 
the house of the Lord, and his own house, and Millo, 
and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, 



152 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

and Gezer. For Pharaoh king of Egypt had gone up, 
and taken Gezer, and burnt it with fire, and slain the 
Canaanites that dwelt in the city, and given it for a 
present unto his daughter, Solomon's wife. And Solo- 
mon built Gezer." "And he built Tadmor in the wil- 
derness, and all the store-cities, which he built in 
Hamath. Also he built Beth-horon the upper, and 
Beth-horon the nether, fenced cities, with walls, 
gates, and bars ; and Baalath, and all the store-cities 
that Solomon had, and all the chariot-cities, and the 
cities of the horsemen, and all that Solomon desired 
to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and throughout 
all the land of his dominion." (1 Kings v. 13; ix. 
15—17.) 

And it came to pass, that among the great variety 
of instruments employed in building the house of the 
Lord, there was a little auger, that had a spirit of high 
ambition. It is not more strange that a little auger 
should have a spirit of high ambition, than that the 
trees, in Jotham's time, should go forth to anoint a 
king over them, and that the olive, the fig-tree, the 
vine, and the bramble, should converse together on 
the subject. (Judges ix. 8 — 15.) So this little auger 
was greatly troubled with an ambitious spirit — the 
same spirit that has often proved a source of anguish 
and trouble among the children of men. 

Now, it came to pass, that on a certain day King 
Solomon came up to look upon the workmen, and to 
see the progress of the work. And behold, as the 
king was passing near the little auger, it opened its 
mouth and hailed him, saying, " Hear ! hear ! that I 
may speak to thee, great king of Jerusalem." 

King Solomon stopped, and looked upon it. " Ha ! " 



THE LITTLE AUGER. 153 

said the king ; " what have we got here ? A little 
auger, straightening itself up for a speech ! But it is 
not more strange," continued he, reconciling himself 
to the singular phenomenon — "it is not more strange 
than that old Pharaoh's bad corn should eat up all his 
good corn." (Gen. xli. 7.) Then addressing the little 
auger, which was still standing erect upon a work- 
bench, drawn up to its utmost height — " What have 
you to say to the king ? " 

" Is not this house," said the little auger, " which 
you are building to the name of the God of Israel, 
designed to be very great ?" 

" Yes," said Solomon ; " to quote the language of 
my venerable father, David, ' The house that is to 
be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnifi- 
cat, of fame and of glory throughout all countries.' " 
(1 Chron. xxii. 5.) 

" Great king," continued the little auger, " I beseech 
you to make me the only instrument that shall be em- 
ployed in building this famous temple. I should love to 
have all the honor. I am grieved deeply with the present 
state of things. I see the workmen every day handling 
immense crowbars, great axes, long steel saws, ham- 
mers, chisels, wedges, planes, and an almost countless 
variety of implements, whose shape and fashion differ 
widely from my own. Now, great king, I have studied 
the subject thoroughly ; and I have felt deeply ; and I 
must say, that these instruments are all wrong. They 
are useless, and worse than useless. Great king, look 
at me!" — here the little auger assumed the tallest 
attitude, and appeared to entertain marvellous concep- 
tions of its own consequence, as though it were pro- 
digious — "great king, look at me! Am not I a 



154 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK 



model instrument ? Am not I the only instrument 
that ought to be honored with bearing a part in the 
erection of this famous temple ? Now, therefore, O 
king, hear my request, and grant my petition. Estab- 
lish thou a royal statute, and make a firm decree, that 
every crowbar, poleaxe, steel saw, broadaxe, hammer, 
chisel, plane, wedge, and each and all other instruments 
whatever, shall be heated, hammered, and twisted, until 
they are brought into exact conformity with that model 
of perfection, the little auger ; and further, let the royal 
decree go forth from the king's palace, sealed with the 
king's ring, that should any tool or implement, great 
or small, attempt to stand on its reserved rights, or 
should it shrink from the process of assimilation, or on 
any account fail to have itself transformed into the 
likeness of the model instrument — a little auger — 
each and every such refractory, obstinate, and contu- 
macious instrument shall, without favor or affection, 
be banished from the dominions of King Solomon 
forever, and suffered to have no share in building the 
temple to the honor of the great name of the God of 
Israel." 

" Little auger," said the king, " I have heard your 
speech with mingled emotions of astonishment and 
pity. It is true, that you have an important part to 
act in the building of this illustrious temple ; other- 
wise you would never have been forged and fashioned 
out of the crude ore from which you were taken. 
Yes, the part that you are called to sustain in the erec- 
tion of this house is not only important, but, I may say, 
it is commendable, hono rable ; but what ever put the 
idle conceit into your little head, that you are the only 
instrument needed in the putting up of this mighty 



THE LITTLE AUGER. 155 

structure, or that you are the model instrument ? 
There is much, very much, to be done in forwarding 
this building, for which you, little auger, have no capa- 
city whatever — work that is essential to the great 
enterprise, and that is wholly beyond your tiny powers. 
Behold that immense wedge of iron, and that great 
battering-engine, by which it is driven into the moun- 
tain quarry, to move the huge masses of stone from 
their ancient bed. Could you act the part of that 
strong battering-engine, or that great wedge of iron ? 
See that heavy sledge, which can break the rock in 
pieces ; that great iron lever, that can lift a weight that 
is beyond the strength of threescore men. Look upon 
that keen-edged axe, that can hew down the tall cedar 
of Lebanon ; and that bright saw of steel, that can 
split the block of marble that is seven cubits thick and 
forty cubits long. Would you have all these, and 
many other necessary and valuable instruments, ban- 
ished from the temple service forever, merely to gratify 
the senseless whim and foolish ambition of a little 
auger ? Tell it not in Gath ! Publish it not in the 
streets of Askelon! And now," said the wise king, 
" allow me, little auger, to show you a more excellent 
way. Be content to pass for what you are, and never 
take the nattering unction to your soul, that you shall 
be able to pass for what you are not. 

64 The great Architect of earth and heaven has not 
made all men alike. There is a vast variety of talents 
and of gifts among them. Yet he has use for them 
all. And each man, who is willing to do his duty, 
and honor his Creator, is important and honorable in 
his place. So in the building of this great temple. 
Many and various instruments are needed. No one 



156 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

should aspire to be considered the only instrument, or 
the model instrument. Each is important and respecta- 
ble in its place. Bear this in mind, little auger. Do 
your duty, and be contented in your station ; and fret 
not your little soul because others can render service 
of which you are altogether incapable." 



THE GREAT MEN OF THE BIBLE. 157 



THE GREAT MEN OF THE BIBLE 



ABRAHAM. 



A very strong argument in favor of the true religion 
might be drawn from the fact, that in no place does the 
human soul unfold its powers to such perfection as it 
does in that land where the light of revelation shines. 
Dr. Young remarks, concerning heathen Greece and 
Rome, that "half our learning is their epitaph." The 
fame of notable men who have risen in the heathen 
world has been blazed abroad in Christian countries ; 
and very often it would appear, that even the children 
of the church are not aware that, in all the attributes 
of true greatness, no men, who have ever lived amidst 
the darkness of idolatry, will compare with the men 
who have worshipped the God of the Bible. " What 
manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor ? " 
said the victorious Gideon to Zebah and Zalmunna, 
the two kings of Midian. And they answered, " As 
thou art, so were they ; each one resembled the chil- 
dren of a king." And he said, " They were my 
brethren." (Judges viii. 18, 19.) Of Jehoshaphat, 
the king of Judah, it is recorded, that " his heart was 
lifted up in the ways of the Lord." Indeed, it is the 
uniform doctrine of the Bible, that true religion exalts 
the soul of man. I might go into specifications ; true 
religion exalts, 

14 



158 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

1. The thoughts of man, from low and grovelling 
objects, to God, and heaven, and eternity. 

2. True religion exalts the affections of man. 

3. It exalts the hopes of man. 

4. It exalts the aims of man. 

5. It exalts the destiny of man. 

Should we wonder, then, that, under the light and 
influences of this religion, men have arisen whose 
greatness the church may contemplate with admiration 
and with joy ? Take Abraham, for example. 

How great was his faith in God ! Idolatry, in the 
age in which he lived, was rampant throughout all 
surrounding lands. Fashion, wealth, power, respecta- 
bility, public sentiment, were all arrayed against the 
cause of truth and righteousness ; yet in such circum- 
stances Abraham would believe and obey God. He 
would face a frowning world. He would stand as a 
rock amidst the billows of the rolling ocean. 

Abraham was a man of great decision of character. 
When the Lord said, " Get thee out from thy country, 
and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, 
unto a land that I will show thee," he immediately 
obeyed the heavenly call, and " went out, not knowing 
whither he went," but feeling only that God was his 
leader and his guide. There was no parley, no hesita- 
tion with him ; no " conferring with flesh and blood." 
An objector would have said, " Cannot I serve God 
here as well as in another place ? My country is dear 
to me. I love my native land. I delight in these 
green hills, these fruitful vales, and these limpid 
streams, where first I became conscious of existence. 
The graves of my ancestors are here. My country is 
dear to me, my kindred dearer, my father's house dear- 



THE GREAT MEN OF THE BIBLE. 159 

est of all. Why should I go to another land, in order 
to serve God ? " Not so reasoned Abraham. His 
decision was immediate and final — " I will obey the 
divine command, and commit consequences to God." 

In like manner he acted when called to offer up his 
only son Isaac on the altar. A wavering mind would 
have said, " There must be some strange mistake in 
this command. Offer up Isaac on the altar ! Why, it 
is inconsistent with God's promise, that Isaac shall be 
the head of a great nation. It is inconsistent with the 
hope of the saints, that the Messiah shall arise from 
among the descendants of Isaac. It is at variance 
with that paternal affection which God hath implanted 
in every father's heart. It will bring a reproach on the 
true religion ; for the heathen around will confound 
the act with the sacrifices offered to Moloch," &c, &c. 
Such would have been the cavillings of unbelief. But 
to Abraham's mind one point was divinely clear, to 
wit : It is the command of God. " Yes, the command 
of God, who sees the consistency of his own ways, 
though they be too wonderful for me. It is the com- 
mand of God, who gave me Isaac and all the blessings 
which I have enjoyed. It is the command of God, 
who redeemed my soul, and on whom all my hopes 
depend for time and for eternity. It is the command 
of God, and I hasten to obey." And Abraham rose 
up early in the morning, and took two of his young 
men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood 
for the burnt-offering, and rose up, and went unto the 
place of which God had told him. How prompt and 
wonderful was his decision in obedience to the com- 
mand of God ! 

How great was his benevolence ! He stood before 



160 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

the Lord, and interceded for guilty Sodom with an 
earnestness and an importunity that could take no 
denial. Abraham knew that he and his house were in 
no danger. The plague would not be suffered to come 
nigh them. Yet he cared for the souls that were in 
Sodom, on the very verge of destruction. And such 
was his benevolence, that he wrestled in prayer for 
them, while they neglected to pray for themselves. 

Abraham was a man of great humility. " Behold^ 
now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, 
who am but dust and ashes" There is nothing here 
like the boasting Pharisee — " God, I thank thee that I 
am not as other men. I have stood firm in thy service, 
while others turned away after idols. I left my native 
country at thy command. I have believed thy word, 
and hoped against hope. I have not staggered at thy 
promise, but have been strong in faith, giving glory to 
God." Nothing of all this. Though he had set his 
face steadfastly in the way of God's commandments, 
and though his feet had moved swiftly in the paths of 
holy obedience, yet now, like the seraphim, he would 
veil his face, and even his feet, before the high and 
holy One. He would speak of himself in the lowliest 
terms — " I am but dust and ashes." 

Great charity also appears in the character of Abra- 
ham. " Perad venture there be fifty righteous within 
the city." " Perad venture there shall lack five of the 
fifty righteous." " Peradventure there be forty found 
there." Noble, generous-hearted man ! Great in the 
exercise of an exalted charity, even in Sodom he hopes 
to find fifty righteous, or if not quite so many, then 
forty-five, or, at any rate, forty. What a lovely exhibi- 
tion of a great and good man ! " Charity thinketh no 



THE GREAT MEN OF THE BIBLE. 161 

evil." Charity "hopeth all things." How different 
from that spirit of bitterness which sometimes stalks 
abroad in the earth ! A bitter spirit would have said, 
"Ha! burn up Sodom and Gomorrah! I'm glad to 
hear it. It is just what I've been looking for. They 
richly deserve it. There is not an honest man in all 
the place, nor a virtuous woman. I'm glad to hear 
that they are about to get then desert at last." It is 
no proof that a man is uncommonly good himself, when 
he shows a severe and censorious spirit, that rejoices to 
put the worst construction on the condition of others. 

Abraham exhibits greatness in his holy fortitude. 
He " stood before the Lord." And while his soul was 
filled with sacred awe and reverence, he " drew near 
and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the 
wicked ? That be far from thee to do after this man- 
ner ; to slay the righteous with the wicked, that be far 
from thee : shall not the Judge of all the earth do 
right ? " He came " boldly to a throne of grace." 

Abraham was great in his daily intercourse with his 
fellow-men. See the magnanimity of his deportment 
in relation to Lot, when difficulties had arisen between 
their herdmen. (Gen. xiii. 5 — 12.) See his inter- 
course with the sons of Heth. (Gen. xxiii. 3 — 20.) 

Abraham was great as a patriot soldier, who drew 
the sword in defence of civil and religious liberty. He 
was a wise and successful leader of patriotic armies. 
(Gen. xiv. 13 — 16.) Also observe his noble bearing 
in reference to the spoil. (Gen. xiv. 22, 23.) 

Abraham was great in his relations — "a mighty 
prince " among men, and a " friend of God." 

He was great in his destination. The abode of the 
blessed is called by the Savior " Abraham's bosom." 
14* 



162 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

(Luke xvi. 22.) And the promise to the redeemed is, 
that " they shall sit down with Abraham, and with 
Isaac, and with Jacob, in the kingdom of God." 

JUDAH. 

Recorded facts clearly show that Judah, the fourth son 
of Jacob, was a very distinguished and powerful man. 
Jewish tradition, concerning the events which took place 
in the earlier periods of Hebrew national history, abound 
with statements of the famous part acted by Judah, and 
of the preeminence which he maintained among cele- 
brated men in that age of the world. There is also 
much on this subject found in the Bible history. 

We find in the story of Joseph that Judah had great 
influence with his brethren. Led on, it appears, by 
Simeon, they had conspired to kill Joseph. Reuben 
had interposed, and prevailed on them to cast Joseph 
into a pit, where, as they supposed, he would inevitably 
starve to death. Reuben's design was to deliver Joseph 
from death, and restore him again to his father. Reuben 
had withdrawn, it seems, for the purpose of concerting 
measures for the escape of Joseph, when a company 
of Ishmaelites passed by. " And Judah said unto his 
brethren, What profit is it if we slay our brother, and 
conceal his blood ? Come, and let us sell him to the 
Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him ; for he 
is our brother and our flesh ; and his brethren were 
content." It is likely that Judah was unacquainted 
with Reuben's aim, and thought this the best method 
to prevent the death of Joseph in the pit. But should 
it even appear that he was moved by some motive less 
praiseworthy, the passage proves that he had great 
weight in swaying the counsels of his brethren. 



THE GREAT MEN OF THE BIBLE. 163 

Judah had also great influence with his father. 
When the sons of Jacob returned from their first visit 
to Egypt, they told then father, " The man who is lord 
of the land spake roughly to us, and took us for spies ; 
and we said unto him, We are true men ; we are no 
spies. And the lord of the country said unto us, 
Hereby shall I know that ye are true men : leave one 
of your brethren here with me, and take food for the 
famine of your houses, and be gone. And bring your 
youngest brother unto me. Then shall I know that ye 
are no spies, but that ye are true men. And their father 
said, Me have ye bereaved of my children ; Joseph is 
not, and Simeon is not ; and ye will take Benjamin 
away : all these things are against me. And Reuben 
spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I 
bring him not to thee ; " just as if the death of two 
grandsons could console Jacob for the loss of his 
beloved Benjamin! "And he said, My son shall not 
go down with you." But when the corn brought up 
from Egypt was all consumed, and " the famine was 
sore," their father said unto them, " Go again, and buy 
us a little food." And Judah spake unto him — " The 
man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not 
see my face, except your brother be with you. If 
thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down 
and buy thee food ; but if thou wilt not send our 
brother, we will not go down." And Judah said unto 
his father, " Send the lad with me, and we will arise 
and go ; that we may live, and not die, both we, and 
thou, and also our little ones. I will be surety for 
him ; of my hand shalt thou require him : if I bring 
him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let 
me bear the blame forever." 



164 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

And their father Israel said, " Take your brother, 
and arise and go ; and God Almighty give you mercy 
before the man." (Gen. xliii. 1 — 16.) 

The whole narrative shows that Jacob entertained a 
very high regard for Judah, and placed a very exalted 
estimate on his force of character and trustworthiness 
— those very attributes on which he expatiates in his 
last benediction : " Judah, thou art he whom thy 
brethren shall praise ; thy hand shall be in the neck 
of thine enemies; thy father's children shall bow 
down before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp ; from the 
prey, my son, thou art gone up ; he stooped down, he 
couched as a lion, and an old lion ; who shall rouse 
him up?" (Gen. xlix. 8, 9.) But it is when he 
comes to stand before the injured and frowning gov- 
ernor of Egypt, and pleads for the convicted and sen- 
tenced Benjamin, that the grandeur of Judah's character 
is seen. Great exigencies call forth great men. And 
here was an eventful crisis, in which the greatest earthly 
interests seemed trembling on the brink of destruction. 

The sons of Jacob had gone down to Egypt the 
second time with troubled apprehensions, such as beset 
the pathway of the guilty. But on their arrival, they 
were agreeably disappointed. They meet with a prompt 
and welcome reception at the governor's house. Sim- 
eon is released from prison, and joined to their com- 
pany ; the governor himself comes home at noon, and 
greets them pleasantly, inquires of the welfare of their 
father, looks with interest and kindness on Benjamin, 
and then gathers them all around his well-furnished 
board, and refreshes them with a plentiful feast. In- 
deed, it seemed as if, in the profusion of his hospitality, 
he was anxious to efface every remaining impression 



THE GREAT MEN OF THE BIBLE. 165 

of that rough speech and harsh treatment which he 
gave them when they first came down. They were 
delighted. They passed the afternoon and night joy- 
fully in the house of the governor ; and " as soon as 
the morning was light," they were sent away, — Sim- 
eon, Benjamin, and all, — their sacks filled with corn, 
as much as they could carry, to supply their families 
with bread. What glad hearts were there ! How 
joyful were their anticipations ! " Soon the high hills 
of Canaan will rise to view ! Soon our homes will 
be in sight, and the loved form of our venerable father, 
eagerly fixing his dim eye on the approaching caravan ; 
and how great will be his joy when he finds that his 
sons have all returned in safety ! But hark ! What 
cry is that of one in pursuit ? It is the governor's 
steward." He hurries to overtake them, proclaiming, 
u The silver cup in which my lord drinketh is stolen. 
Ye have done evil in so doing." 

And they said unto him, " Wherefore saith my lord 
.these words ? God forbid that thy servants should do 
this thing. With whomsoever of thy servants it shall 
be found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's 
bondmen. Then they speedily took down every man 
his sack, and he searched, and began at the eldest and 
left off at the youngest, and the cup was found in 
Benjamin's sack. Then they rent their clothes, and 
returned to the city." The language of the sacred 
historian is here very instructive. " Then Judah and 
his brethren came to Joseph's house." Judah alone 
of the eleven is named. All eyes were now turned to 
him ; and the looks and the lips of all confess that in 
this awful extremity their only hope is in the wisdom, 
the eloquence, and the extraordinary resources of Judah. 



166 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

Indeed, the attempt of Judah, at this dreadful juncture, 
just as the cup has been found in Benjamin's sack, to 
head the returning column of his mortified and despair- 
ing brethren, and lead them back to the house of the 
outraged and indignant governor, is itself a proof of 
astonishing stamina and greatness of soul. 

What a moving scene have we here ! Pause for a 
moment, and fix your eye upon it. That accusing 
steward seizes the cup, and holds it up reproachingly 
before them all, as incontestable proof of vile ingrati- 
tude and enormous guilt. Hear his exclamations — 
" O, what baseness ! What detestable falsehood ! What 
abominable thievishness ! " Reuben wrings his hands, 
crying out bitterly, " Undone ! undone ! " Simeon, 
Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, cover their abashed faces, 
and stepping backward, fall to the earth. Ten of 
Jacob's sons are utterly unmanned and overwhelmed 
in the depth of their disgrace. Not so Judah. His 
powerful spirit rises with the importance of the occa- 
sion. Disasters which prostrate others only rouse the 
slumbering energies of his mind. The more dire the 
extremity, it is to him but the louder call to prompt, 
effective action. " Up, my brothers, up ! All danger 
is not death ; all darkness is not destruction ; rise up, 
and come with me. We will go back to the governor's 
house, and try what can yet be done." Rare, exalted, 
wonderful man ! At the distance of thirty-five hun- 
dred years, we yet gaze with astonishment and admira- 
tion upon thy marvellous fortitude and firmness of soul. 
Yes, after this long lapse of ages, we yet continue to 
feel that our nature is honored and ennobled by thy 
manly and dignified bearing when those thick clouds of 
blackness were clustering and condensing around thee. 



THE GREAT MEN OF THE BIBLE. 167 

The reception of the sons of Jacob at the governor's 
house was altogether rough and repulsive. " What is 
this that ye have done ? Wot ye not that such a man 
as I can certainly divine ? Did ye think to practise 
thievery about my house, and escape detection ? " We 
must bear in mind, that Judah regarded Joseph as a 
great Egyptian prince, who wielded the power of Pha- 
raoh. " What shall we say unto my lord ? what shall 
we speak? or how shail we clear ourselves? God 
hath found out the iniquity of thy servants : behold, 
we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with 
whom the cup is found." There is great ingenuity 
and power in this opening of his plea. He dilutes or 
neutralizes the guilt of the act of stealing the cup, by 
diffusing it among all the eleven brethren, and repre- 
senting their present distress as a righteous judgment 
from God, for all the sins of their past lives. And 
then he declares their readiness to submit to a heavier 
doom than Joseph's sense of justice would allow him 
to inflict. " God forbid," said the governor, " that I 
should do so ; but the man in whose hand the cup is 
found, he shall be my servant ; as for you, get you up 
in peace to your father." 

Here, now, is the climax of their troubles. They 
could have consented, if it must be so, all to perish 
together ; but the thought of some returning home 
with tidings that will break their father's heart, is 
unsupportable. The reader, who carefully examines 
Judah's argument, will subscribe to the following sen- 
timent of a celebrated English divine : " Without 
exception, this may be considered as the most affecting 
speech that was ever uttered by mere man." 

" Then Judah came near unto him, and said, O my 



168 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my 
lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy 
servant ; for thon art even as Pharaoh. My lord asked 
his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother ? 
And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old 
man, and a child of his old age, a little one ; and his 
brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and 
his father loveth him. And thou saidst unto thy ser- 
vants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine 
eyes upon him. And we said unto my lord, The lad 
cannot leave his father ; for if he should leave his 
father, his father would die. And thou saidst unto thy 
servants, Except your youngest brother come down 
with you, ye shall see my face no more. And it came 
to pass, when we came up unto thy servant my father, 
we told him the words of my lord. And our father 
said, Go again, and buy us a little food. And we said, 
We cannot go down. If our youngest brother be with 
us, then will we go down ; for we may not see the 
man's face, except our youngest brother be with us. 
And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that 
my wife bare me two sons : and the one went out from 
me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces ; and I saw 
him not since ; and if ye take this also from me, and 
mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs 
with sorrow to the grave. Now, therefore, when I 
come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with 
us, seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life, it 
shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not 
with us, that he will die ; and thy servants shall bring 
down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with 
sorrow to the grave. For thy servant became surety 
for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not 



THE GREAT MEN OF THE BIBLE. 169 

unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father 
forever. Now, therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant 
abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord ; and let 
the lad go up with his brethren. For how shall I go 
up to my father, and the lad be not with me ? lest per- 
adventure I see the evil that shall come on my father." 

1. What tender affection for his aged father breathed 
through the whole speech! "Honor thy father and 
mother, which is the first commandment with promise." 

2. With what soundness of judgment does he avoid 
any particular reference to the crime charged on his 
younger brother. To have admitted it, would have 
been to censure Benjamin. To have denied it, would 
have reflected on the justice of Joseph. He presses 
only the great argument, that the life of his aged father 
is bound up in the life of the lad ; and if Benjamin 
goes not back with his brothers, his father will die. 

3. How delicately he refers to Joseph's supposed 
loss ! quoting his father's words, " Ye know that my 
wife bare me two sons j and the one went out from 
me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces, and I saw 
him not since." How the heart of Joseph must have 
vibrated at this part of the argument ! 

4. He offers himself as a substitute for Benjamin. 
Jewish tradition says he was by far the most able 
bodied of the two. Joseph would thus be gainer by 
the exchange. His father could better bear the loss 
of him, than of the only remaining son of his beloved 
Rachel. So far is he from being envious at his father's 
superior fondness for Benjamin, that he is willing to 
become a bondman himself, in order that it may be 
gratified. Generous, worthy, wonderful man ! 

5. The power of his eloquence rose beyond all that 

15 



170 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK 



Joseph had anticipated, though he had doubtless been 
accustomed to hear the most powerful pleaders of 
Egypt. Joseph had been making experiments with 
his brethren, testing and trying their temper toward 
Benjamin ; and evidently he intended to carry his 
experiments further. For he had men present in the 
house who he did not intend should witness the scene, 
when he should make himself known to his brethren. 
According to his plan, the time for that disclosure had 
not yet come ; but the tide of Judah's eloquence came 
upon him like the waters in Ezekiel's vision — now 
flowing to the ankles, now to the knees, now to the 
waist, and now a mighty river, whose resistless flood 
swept all before it. Joseph himself was carried away 
by the overspreading deluge, and " could not refrain 
himself before all them that stood by him. And he 
cried, Cause every man to go out from me : and he 
wept aloud ; and the Egyptians and the house of 
Pharaoh heard." Who can read this affecting history 
without coming fully to the conclusion, that Judah 
deserves a prominent place among " the great men of 
the Bible " ? 

6. What an impression this generous proposal of 
Judah must have made on the heart of Benjamin ! It 
appears that neither he nor his children could ever for- 
get their obligation for this magnanimous devotion. 
Long afterwards, when ten tribes went off under Jero- 
boam, Benjamin adhered with unwavering faithfulness 
to Judah. The ten tribes were carried away captive, 
and lost ; but Benjamin is still found with Judah. In 
the first age of the Christian church, the children of 
Benjamin were with Judah. Paul was " of the tribe 
of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews." And till 



THE GREAT MEN OF THE BIBLE. 171 

this day, in their dispersion throughout the whole world, 
Benjamin is found standing by the side of Judah. 

7. Was Judah a type of Christ, when he became 
surety for a younger brother, and made intercession for 
the transgressor ? Troubles, the most gloomy and 
appalling, were clustering and thickening around Ben- 
jamin. The cup was found in his sack. He alone is 
singled out, by the frowning governor, as the guilty 
one. He alone is condemned to a perpetual doom. 
Yet all this cannot turn away the tender affection of 
Judah, nor check his burning zeal. I " became surety 
for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not 
unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for- 
ever." Great Surety of our souls, this reminds us of 
thee ! " For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor 
life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things 
present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor 
any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the 
love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." 



172 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 



THE PUBLIC REBUKE 



ANECDOTE OF JUDGE WHITE. 

The late lamented Judge Hugh L. White, of Tennes- 
see, became conspicuous, at a very early period of life, 
as a jurist and a statesman. He fixed his permanent 
home near Knoxville, amidst the scenes of his youth- 
ful sports, and the companions of his boyish days. 
Rarely has a young man, continuing in his own coun- 
try and among his own kindred, so soon attained such 
literary and political preeminence. From his youth, 
the judge was characterized by profound reverence for 
the ordinances of the gospel. He was a regular attend- 
ant at the house of worship. And while he was a 
Presbyterian, that being the church of his fathers, and 
the church of his choice, he was benevolent and gen- 
erous towards other branches of the great Christian 
family. He gave to the Methodist church at Knox- 
ville the ground on which their house of worship was 
built ; and occasionally he would appear in the con- 
gregation, and join with them in their worship. 

Now, in those days, there was a notable presiding 
elder in that region, called Father Axley, a pious, 
laborious, uncompromising preacher of the gospel, who 
considered it his duty to rebuke Sin wherever it should 
presume to lift up its deformed head within the limits 
of his district. And while Father Axley was a man 



ANECDOTE OF JUDGE WHITE. 173 

of respectable talents, undoubted piety, and great min- 
isterial fidelity, he had, moreover, a spice of humor, 
oddity, and drollery about him, that rarely failed to 
impart a characteristic tinge to his performances. The 
consequence was, that amusing anecdotes of the say- 
ings and doings of Father Axley abounded throughout 
the country. 

On a certain day, a number of lawyers and literary 
men were together in the town of Knoxville, and the 
conversation turned on the subject of preaching and 
preachers. One and another had expressed his opinion 
of the performances of this and that pulpit orator. At 
length, Judge White spoke up — " Well, gentlemen, 
on this subject each man is, of course, entitled to his 
own opinion ; but I must confess, that Father Axley 
brought me to a sense of my evil deeds — at least a 
portion of them — more effectually than any preacher 
I have ever heard." At this, every eye and ear was 
turned ; for Judge White was known never to speak 
lightly on religious subjects, and, moreover, he was 
habitually cautious and respectful in his remarks con- 
cerning religious men. The company now expressed 
the most urgent desire that the judge would give the 
particulars, and expectation stood on tiptoe. 

" I went up," said the judge, " one evening, to the 
Methodist church. A sermon was preached by a cler- 
gyman with whom I was not acquainted ; but Father 
Axley was in the pulpit. At the close of the sermon, 
he arose, and said to the congregation, ' I am not going 
to detain you by delivering an exhortation. I have 
risen simply to administer a rebuke for improper con- 
duct, which I have observed here to-night.' This, of 
course, waked up the entire assembly ; and the still- 
15* 



174 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

ness was most profound, while Axley stood and looked, 
for two or three seconds, over the congregation. Then, 
stretching out his large, long arm, and pointing with 
his ringer steadily in one direction, ' Now,' said he, ' I 
calculate that those two young men, who were talking 
and laughing in that corner of the house, while the 
brother was preaching, think that I'm going to talk 
about them. Well, it is true that it looks very bad, 
when well-dressed young men, who you would sup- 
pose, from their appearance, belonged to some genteel, 
respectable family, come to the house of God, and, 
instead of reverencing the majesty of Him that dwell- 
eth therein, or attending to the message of his ever- 
lasting love, get together in one corner of the house,' 
(his finger all this time pointing straight and steady as 
the aim of a rifleman,) ' and there, through the whole 
solemn service, keep talking, tittering, laughing, gig- 
gling — thus annoying the minister, disturbing the 
congregation, and sinning against God. I'm sorry for 
the young men. I'm sorry for their parents. I'm 
sorry they have done so to-night. I hope they'll never 
do so again. But, however, that's not the thing that I 
was going to talk about. It is another matter, and so 
important, that I thought it would be wrong to suffer 
the congregation to depart without administering a 
suitable rebuke. Now,' said he, stretching his huge 
arm, and pointing in another direction, ' perhaps that 
man, who was asleep on the bench out there, while 
the brother was preaching, thinks that I am going to 
talk about him. Well, I must confess, it looks very 
bad for a man to come into a worshipping assembly, 
and, instead of taking his seat like others, and listening 
to the blessed gospel, carelessly stretch himself out on 



ANECDOTE OF JUDGE WHITE. 175 

a bench, and go to sleep ! It is not only a proof of 
great insensibility with regard to the obligations which 
we owe to our Creator and Redeemer, but it shows a 
want of genteel breeding. It shows that the poor 
man has been so unfortunate in his bringing up, as not 
to have been taught good manners. He doesn't know 
what is polite and respectful in a worshipping assem- 
bly, among whom he comes to mingle. I'm sorry for 
the poor man. I'm sorry for the family to which he 
belongs. I'm sorry he did not know better. I hope 
he will never do so again. But, however, that is not 
what I was going to talk about.' Thus Father Axley 
went on, for some time, ' boxing the compass,' and hit- 
ting a number of persons and things that he was ' not 
going to talk about,' and hitting them hard, till the 
attention and curiosity of the audience were raised to 
the highest pitch, when, finally, he remarked, ' The 
thing of which I was going to talk, is chewing tobacco. 
Now, I do hope, when any gentleman comes here to 
church, who can't keep from chewing tobacco during 
the hours of public worship, that he will just take his 
hat, and put it before him, and spit in his hat. You 
know we are Methodists. You all know that our cus- 
tom is to kneel when we pray. Now, any gentleman 
may see, in a moment, how exceedingly inconvenient 
it must be for a well-dressed Methodist lady to be com- 
pelled to kneel down in a great puddle of tobacco-spit ! ' 
" Now," said Judge White, " at this very time, I had 
in my mouth an uncommonly large quid of tobacco. 
Axley's singular manner and train of remark had 
strongly arrested my attention. While he was strik- 
ing to the right and left, hitting those ' things ' that he 
was not going to talk about, my curiosity was roused, and 



176 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

conjecture was busy to find out what he could be aim- 
ing at. I was chewing my huge quid with uncommon 
rapidity, and spitting, and looking up at the preacher, 
to catch every word and every gesture ; and when, at 
last, he pounced on the t tobacco,' behold, there I had 
a great puddle of tobacco-spit ! I quietly slipped the 
quid out of my mouth, and dashed it as far as I could 
under the seats, resolving never again to be found 
chewing tobacco in a Methodist church. 



THE LIVING AND DEAD PROPHETS. 177 



THE LIVING AND THE DEAD 
PROPHETS. 



Scene I. A half -built Tomb in Judea, in the time of the public 
ministrations of Jesus Christ. Around the tomb, Annas, and Cai- 
aphas, and John, and Alexander, and others of the kindred of 
the high priest, with Stone-masons and Attendants. (Acts iv. 6.) 

Annas. This is truly a pious business ! Yes, this 
is what I call religion. We are all here, with one 
heart, to build the sepulchre of the prophet Elisha. 
Ah, he was a treasure to Israel in his day ! What 
miracles he performed on Naaman the Syrian, and 
others ! What a life of exemplary piety he led ! And 
after he was dead, there was virtue in his bones. Yes, 
the sacred record declares, that, while certain men were 
burying the body of a man who had died, they spied 
a company of hostile Moabites, who had invaded the 
land ; and they " cast the man into the sepulchre of 
Elisha. And when the man was let down, and touched 
the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood on his feet." 
(2 Kings xiii. 21.) Ah, he was a prophet, whose like 
w r e shall not see again ! But there is piety in building 
his sepulchre. Let us put our own hands to this ad- 
mirable religious enterprise. Caiaphas, take hold ! 
John, Alexander, — all of you who are of the kindred 
of the high priest, — take hold ! Help me to set this 
great block of marble in the right position for hewing. 



178 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

I delight in such work as this. I absolutely believe 
that I could hew this marble almost as well as a pro- 
fessed mason. {He takes a stone-hammer, and begins 
to hew.) Ah, this is what I call religion ! 

Caiaphas. How much it is to be regretted that we 
have no such prophets as Elisha in the church at this 
day ! Mortar ! bring mortar ! {Aloud.) Have it well 
tempered and prepared. My heart experiences the 
excitement of the noble enterprise. Ah, there is sub- 
limity in the thought of building the sepulchre of a 
dead prophet ! — especially one who has been so long 
dead. Yes, I feel the inspiration of the occasion. I 
am quickened, yea, revived, yea, ennobled, by the ani- 
mating character of this exalted undertaking. None 
of that odious modern fanaticism can mingle in such 
an elevated and dignified design as this. Honor to the 
memory of the prophet Elisha ! 

Annas. I hear that there are some very disorderly 
proceedings over in Galilee. 

Caiaphas. Ah ! say you so ? In what respect ? 

Annas. One Jesus, a professed prophet, has arisen, 
and is making quite a number of disciples. 

Caiaphas. Disciples ! How absurd for such a mere 
pretender to call men to be his disciples ! We are 
Moses' disciples. We know that God spake unto 
Moses ; but, as for this fellow, we know not from 
whence he is. That is a most beautiful block of 
white marble. How it will garnish the sepulchre of 
the dead prophet ! The truth is, no embellishment or 
decoration should be spared in a pious purpose like 
this. Drive on the work, masons ! Prepare the stone 
for the good prophet's tomb as fast as you can ! Mor- 
tar ! Attendants, keep these masons well supplied 



THE LIVING AND DEAD PROPHETS. 179 

with mortar ! A pious work, truly ! I should take 
pride in carrying the hod myself, in order to forward 
such an important religious enterprise. 

First Mason. I have heard that the prophet in 
Galilee does many wonderful works ; that the com- 
mon people hear him gladly ; and that many have 
believed in him, as the promised Messiah. 

Caiaphas. Peace, man ! hold your peace ! Have 
any of the rulers or Pharisees believed on him ? 

Second Mason. I saw some officers, that the chief 
priests had sent to take him. They said that they 
had listened to one of his sermons, and that they were 
constrained to declare, " Never man spake like this 
man." 

Caiaphas. I command you, laymen, to hold your 
peace ! Beware how you interfere with the rights of 
those who have the oversight of the people ! If you 
must speak of the transactions over in Galilee, speak 
of the disorders, the extravagances, &c. 

Annas. I learn that there are great excesses and 
irregularities among the followers of this " prophet of 
Nazareth of Galilee." Some four or five thousand 
men, besides women and children, it is said, continued 
with him " three days, when they had nothing to eat." 
This was shocking extravagance. It was a great 
shame to expose those little children to such suffering. 

First Mason. I was told that the prophet fed those 
four or five thousand men, and all the women and chil- 
dren, with a few loaves and fishes ; and that they did 
all eat, and were filled ; and that twelve baskets-full 
of fragments, or broken meat, were taken up after they 
had all eaten. 

Caiaphas. Mortar ! Bring on a good supply of 



180 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

mortar, for the tomb of the prophet ! Roll up those 
large blocks of marble, that the workmen may hew 
and prepare them ! Here, fellow ! ( To the mason, in 
a lower tone.) If you speak in commendation of that 
prophet of Galilee, you shall be dismissed from our 
employment, and put out of the synagogue. Ah, 
those poor women and children ! From my inmost 
heart, I pity them. Three days, and nothing to eat ! 
There were no such disorderly doings in the days of 
the good old prophet Elisha. 

Annas. I was credibly informed that the roof of 
a poor man's house was very much injured, but a short 
time since. They had brought one sick of the palsy ; 
and an immense rabble being collected about the door, 
they who had charge of the sick man could not enter 
that way. Being very reckless persons, and having 
little regard to the rights of others, they ascended to 
the roof of the house, and broke it up, and let down 
the sick of the palsy through the great opening which 
they had made in the roof. I saw a very respectable 
man, who was at the house on the afternoon of the 
same day ; and he reports that the injury done to the 
roof was very great. The owner of the house is a 
poor man, who can ill afford to meet the expense of 
repairing — particularly at this time, when lumber and 
shingles are uncommonly high. So, now, the family 
are there, all exposed to the first squall of bad weather 
that may chance to blow up. 

Second Mason. I understand, however, that the 
sick of the palsy was perfectly healed ; that he took 
up his bed, and walked through the astonished multi- 
tude, calling on all to witness what great things the 
Lord had done for him ; and that all the people glori- 



THE LIVING AND DEAD PROPHETS. 181 

fied God, and declared that a great prophet was risen 
in Israel. 

Caiaphas. Fellow ! fellow ! no more of that ! {In 
a subdued tone.) Take warning from the words I 
spake to your neighbor there, a moment ago. I tell 
you that you tamper with a lion, if you disobey the 
high priest. Most sincerely do I sympathize with that 
poor, unoffending man, whose roof was so greatly 
damaged. These are new measures ! new measures ! 
Nothing of the kind was sanctioned by Elisha, in his 
day. He was no house-breaker, or roof-destroyer. I 
glory in the privilege of building his sepulchre. Con- 
fusion to all modern innovations ! 

Annas. Innovations ? The half has not been told 
you. 

Caiaphas. Well, this sepulchre takes my eye. It 
will be a most beautiful structure, when completed. 
None will dare to call in question our religion, after 
this, we have been so forward in this great and good 
work. What a pity that we cannot have such prophets 
as Elisha in our day ! Admirable man ! he has been 
gone from the earth now more than eight hundred 
years. But it is to us a source of high satisfaction, 
that we can build his sepulchre. Ah, a work like this 
proves the depth of a man's religion ! I say again, 
Confusion to all modern innovations ! I cannot keep 
from thinking of that poor man's damaged roof, and 
those hungry women and children. 

First Mason. {Aside.) But it seems that the 
miracle of the loaves and fishes, and the sick man 
who was perfectly healed, must not be mentioned. 

Annas. As to irregularities, and " mischievous dis- 
orders," I repeat, that the half has not yet been told. 
16 



182 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

I was informed, the other day, that certain unoffending 
persons have sustained a great loss by the lawless pro- 
ceedings now prevalent in that region. The persons 
of whom I speak had invested the principal part of 
their substance in a large herd of swine. The swine 
were in fine condition, just ready for the market. The 
number of t the swine was about two thousand, and 
they were worth more than twenty thousand shekels 
of silver. By some disorderly proceeding, which I do 
not understand, — for that professed prophet is said to 
be in league with Beelzebub, the prince of devils, — 
the whole herd took fright, and ran down a steep place 
into the sea, and perished in the waters — a great loss 
to the owners! certainly, a great loss. I am grieved 
to hear of such proceedings. But we are Moses' dis- 
ciples, and we build the sepulchre of Elisha. That is 
the right kind of religion, beyond a doubt. Away 
with modern fanaticism and extravagance ! 

Second Mason. {Aside.) But there is not a word 
about the man that had been possessed by the legion. 
The devils were cast out ; and the wretched man was 
healed, and restored to his friends, clothed, and in his 
right mind ; and " the people were all amazed, and 
glorified God." Not a word of all that! 

Caiaphas. Sad times ! Sad times indeed ! Two 
thousand hogs utterly lost j a valuable roof broken up, 
and well nigh destroyed ; and a large number of wo- 
men and children almost starved to death ! Venerable 
prophet Elisha ! Our only remaining comfort is in 
building thy tomb. O, had we lived eight hundred 
years ago, we might have found good enterprises in 
the church, in which we could have cooperated. The 
revivals, at that day, were of the right stamp ; but, 



THE LIVING AND DEAD PROPHETS. 183 

now, all that we can do is to find fault, raise objections, 
build the sepulchres of prophets who are dead, and 
scowl at those who are living. 

Scene II. A Church in Scotland in the days of John Knox. Enter 
three venerable Churchmen. 

First Churchman. I am greatly grieved with the 
manner in which the reformation is conducted. John 
Knox seems to be cheek by jowl with the Earl of 
Murray, and with Morton also, and other ambitious 
nobles. They evidently are anxious to pull down the 
old establishment, in order to enrich themselves, and 
their friends and favorites, with the spoils. The Earl 
of Morton and the Earl of Murray have had a fierce 
quarrel about the disposal of the lands and property 
of the last abbey which they have broken up. And 
John Knox has such men in the church, and he per- 
mits them to be his counsellors ! Ah, " birds of a 
feather " — the old proverb, how true ! The fact is, the 
conduct of John Knox is highly exceptionable. The 
exigencies of the times demand a better man at the 
head of the reformation in Scotland. 

Second Churchman. I don't believe that John 
Calvin, at Geneva, is one whit better. True, he has 
managed to get great influence in that city ; but there 
are many hard things said against him. Alas for the 
cause of religion, when prominent ministers are ob- 
noxious to so many objections ! Indeed, the whole 
reformation abounds in blemishes and defects. 

Third Churchman. And there is Martin Luther, in 
Germany. The fact is, they are all " tarred with the 
same stick." Luther is one of those headlong, self- 



184 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

willed, obstinate men, on whom good counsel is ab- 
solutely wasted. Ah, I often think of the preachers 
in the primitive church ! Could we only have such 
ministers now, we should know how to value them. 
There was Stephen — strange that the men of that 
age should stone such a man to death ! 

First Churchman. Yes ; and there was Peter — 
what a treasure to the church ! and Paul — wonderful 
that the men of that day should cast such excellent 
ministers into prison, and subject them to cruel stripes. 

Second Churchman. And there was the amiable 
apostle John. How wicked it was to banish him to 
the Isle of Patmos ! O that we had such ministers 
in our day ! Let us build their sepulchres, otherwise 
we may be misunderstood. While we oppose John 
Knox, and Luther, and Calvin, people may conclude 
that we are opposed to revivals of religion ; but if we 
build the sepulchres of those primitive ministers, then 
we can cry out against those of our own day, without 
forfeiting our religious characters. What say you ? 
Shall we build the sepulchres of the primitive minis- 
ters, and thus show that, beyond a doubt, we are reli- 
gious men, and friends of revivals — that is, revivals 
of the right stamp ? 

First Churchm,an. I will subscribe liberally. Ah, 
that is a pious work, in which my heart would rejoice ! 

Third Churchman. And I, too, will gladly cooper- 
ate to build the sepulchres of the early ministers, who 
are long since dead. That is a religious enterprise, 
that commends itself to my judgment and my heart ; 
but, as for these modern men, — Knox, Luther, and 
Calvin, — I wholly disapprove of their measures. 
John Knox comes down like a thunder-storm. I wish 



THE LIVING AND DEAD PROPHETS. 185 

for a revival that has not got so much of man in it. I 
wish the Lord to do his own work. 



Scene III. An American Church in 1742. Enter three venerable 
Ministers. 

First Minister. What can this Freewill Edwards 
be aiming at ? His mode of writing and preaching is 
certainly endangering the doctrines of the reformation. 
Ah, venerable John Calvin ! Unparalleled champion 
of the doctrines of grace ! What wouldst thou have 
thought of such an ally as this Jonathan Edwards? 
The fact is, the entire man is a curiosity, and all his 
writings are of an abstruse, metaphysical character. 
The church knows not what to make of him, or them ; 
but fears of the worst are extensively entertained. O 
for the plain, unequivocal, and downright manners of 
the great reformers ! John Calvin, John Knox, and 
the men of that day, were an invaluable treasure to 
the church. 

Second Minister. This George Whitefleld is not 
one jot better than Edwards. He professes to believe 
the doctrines of the reformation ; but he is turning 
the world upside down. It is, moreover, reported that 
Bellamy, at Bethlehem, sympathizes entirely with Ed- 
wards and Whitefield, and the same thing is said of 
Gilbert and William Tennant, of New Jersey. I am a 
friend of revivals ; but not such revivals as these, that 
take place under the preaching of Edwards, and White- 
field, and the Tennants. No, no. I wish to see such 
revivals as blessed the church in Geneva, under the 
preaching of John Calvin ; and such revivals as blessed 
the church in Scotland, when John Knox proclaimed 
16* 



186 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

the gospel. Those revivals were worthy of the name. 
Ah, they were rich and lasting blessings to the church ! 
But these mere ephemeral, modern excitements awake 
my indignation. The fact is, Edwards preaches ser- 
mons that are perfectly frightful. He seems to wish 
to take the conversion of sinners into his own hands ; 
and Whitefield and Bellamy do the same thing. Now, 
I like a revival that has not got so much of man in it. 
I like a revival that gives all the glory to God. 

Third Minister. And such were the revivals under 
the great reformers, John Calvin, John Knox, and their 
fellow-laborers. Those eminent men should not be 
forgotten. Would it not be a pious work to build 
their sepulchres? I would gladly join with you in 
such an important religious enterprise. 

First Minister. I will cooperate with all my heart. 

Second Minister. And I, also, for two reasons : 
First, by building their sepulchres, we shall give honor 
to men who deserve to be held in everlasting remem- 
brance ; and, second, we shall throw around ourselves 
the influence of the great names of these reformers ; 
and thus we shall be strengthened in our opposition to 
Edwards, Whitefield, Bellamy, and all such modern 
fanatics. 

First and Third Minister. Amen and amen ! 

Scene IV. Place, not legible. Time, 184-, (last figure indistinct.) 
Enter an Aged Man and a brisk, self-important Youth. 

Youth. What astonishing men labored in these 
American churches, before the colonies were separated 
from Great Britain ! Edwards, and his fellows of that 
day, were noble examples for the faithful, discreet, and 



THE LIVING AND DEAD PROPHETS. 187 

Judicious minister of the present age to copy ; and the 
revivals, which blessed the church under their labors, 
are models which we would do well to imitate. There 
have been many very objectionable things mingled 
with the revivals in the church of late years. Indeed, 
I have little sympathy with modern revivals. I abso- 
lutely believe that they have done more harm than 
good. But I am free to express my warmest admiration 
of such revivals as attended the preaching of Edwards 
and others, one hundred years ago ; and, as for Ed- 
wards himself, he was, in his day, " a burning and a 
shining light." I am decidedly of opinion, that the 
American church ought to erect a monument to his 
memory. Yes, a richly-ornamented sepulchre should 
grace the sacred spot where his ashes repose. 

Aged Man. And what do you think of George 
Whitefield ? 

Youth. O, I venerate the name of George White- 
field ! I understand that a costly tomb has already 
been erected over or near his remains ; otherwise I 
should have proposed to have his memorial placed 
beside that of Edwards. And, moreover, I believe 
that a faithful history of the distinguishing features of 
the revivals of their day ought to be compiled, as a 
guide and a model for ministers of this age. It might 
preserve them from many lamentable indiscretions and 
extravagances. 

Aged Man. My son, listen to the voice of experi- 
ence. You have fallen into the common error of 
mankind, who eulogize and build the sepulchre of the 
prophet that is dead, while they stigmatize and reject 
the prophet that is living. With this device Satan 
has deceived the nations for ages. The dead prophet 



188 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

rebukes no one. Neither the sinner, nor the cold, 
worldly professor, is interrupted by him. They can, 
therefore, build his sepulchre, while they continue to 
live in sin. Thus the tempter deludes multitudes with 
a persuasion that their spiritual condition is good, be- 
cause they can eulogize the dead prophet ; but let the 
living prophet appear, teaching and exemplifying the 
same doctrine which his predecessor once taught, and 
he is intolerable. The cry is raised, " Away with him 
from the earth ; for it is not fit that he should live." 
How were the old prophets treated by those among 
whom they lived? " They had trial of cruel mock- 
ings and scourgings, yea, moreover, of bonds and im- 
prisonments. They were stoned, they were sawn 
asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword. 
They wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins, 
being destitute, afflicted, tormented. They wandered 
in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of 
the earth." (Heb. xi. 36—38.) But after they had 
been dead for ages, then many were eager to sing their 
praises and build their sepulchres. But when Christ 
appeared, teaching the same doctrines with the old 
prophets, " they said, He hath a devil, and is mad : why 
hear ye him ? Crucify him ! Crucify him ! " And thus 
Satan manages, from age to age. At the reformation, 
there were many who would eulogize Christ and his 
apostles, who were exceedingly bitter against such 
living prophets as John Calvin and John Knox ; but 
when Calvin and Knox were dead, and Whitefield and 
Edwards were the living prophets, then the same scenes 
were acted over. Half the pulpits in the country were 
shut against Whitefield, while he was alive ; and Jona- 
than Edwards was driven from his church, at the age 



THE LIVING AND DEAD PROPHETS. 189 

of forty-seven, and took refuge among the Indians. 
But, now that Edwards and Whitefield have been dead 
near one hundred years, the devil and revival-fighting 
men would gladly turn over their great names into the 
ranks of the enemy, and borrow influence from the 
reputation of Edwards and Whitefield, to make war 
against the work of the Spirit of God in this age. It 
is just as absurd as the conduct of the Jews, when 
they quoted Elijah and Isaiah, to keep them in counte- 
nance while they were denouncing Christ and his apos- 
tles. My son, allow me to speak plainly. You have 
fallen into a great error ; nay, you are taken captive in 
a dreadful snare of the devil, and your danger is immi- 
nent. God is the same, from age to age. God's word 
is the same. " The grass withereth, the flower fadeth ; 
but the word of our God shall stand forever." God's 
Spirit is the same now as in the days of the apostles 
and prophets. The sinner that is converted now, is 
converted by the same Spirit, and the same truth, 
that turned souls to God on the day of Pentecost. 
Before Christ ascended up on high, he gave this 
promise to the church : " Lo, I am with you always, 
even to the end of the world." That promise he has 
never violated, nor is it necessary to go back a hun- 
dred years, to find tokens and proofs of his presence 
with the church. There is as much guilt brought 
upon the soul by blaspheming the Holy Ghost now, as 
there was on the day of Pentecost. Blasphemy is 
evil speaking. Beware how you speak against the 
Holy Ghost, sent down from heaven ! 

Youth. But — but understand me. I only spoke 
against spurious revivals. 

Aged Man. Yes, and the Jews only spoke against 



190 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

spurious works of Christ ; but, according to them, his 
works were all spurious. " He cast out devils by- 
Beelzebub ; " and in his public preaching they alleged, 
" He hath a devil, and is mad." So with you — all 
modern revivals are spurious ; and, to find any that 
you can approve, you must go back a hundred years, 
among people and preachers who are all dead, and 
gone to eternity, and who, while they were living, 
" were men of like passions with ourselves," and were 
'•'every where spoken against." You profess to be a 
preacher of the gospel. Look at your own ministry. 
Does God bless it ? Does God convert sinners by your 
preaching? or is your ministry bleak and barren as the 
mountains of Gilboa ? Who authorized you to be a 
barren fig-tree in the vineyard of God ? Who author- 
ized you to be an unprofitable servant ? " Cast the 
beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see 
clearly to cast the mote out of thy brother's eye." 
But beware of evil speaking. That sin, which shuts 
the gate of heaven against the soul forever, is a sin of 
the tongue. All evil speaking does not rise to the 
aggravation of the unpardonable sin ; but very clearly 
the doctrine is taught, that evil speaking tends to grieve 
away the Holy Spirit ; and this is found in the experi- 
ence of ministers of the gospel. Mark that man who 
speaks bitterly, or even lightly, of the revivals which 
God grants to the church in this day. Does God ever 
own his ministry again, after he has lifted his tongue 
against revivals ? Does God make him an honored 
instrument in converting sinners ? No. God smites 
his ministry with barrenness, for the sin of his tongue ; 
and he walks, a naked skeleton, among the churches, 
till the day of his death. There is a peculiar dread- 



THE LIVING AND DEAD PROPHETS. 191 

fulness in the rebuke with which God visits that min- 
ister who lifts his tongue against the work of the Holy- 
Spirit. See that tall tree, along whose trunk has 
flashed the lightning of angry heaven ! Does it ever 
bud or bloom again ? No. There it stands, deso- 
late, dreary, dead. The spring returns, with its warm 
gales, its genial showers, and its quickening sunbeams. 
Other plants feel the reviving influence. Nature all 
around awakes and rejoices. Gushing streams of life 
are pushing forth buds, blossoms, leaves, and young 
formations of 'fruit, on every hand. But O, that dead 
tree ! No bud, no leaf, no blossom, or young formation 
of fruit, is there. The quickening power of spring, 
the warm and strong energies of summer, affect it 
not. It stands dreary, desolate, dead. Yes, it stands 
leafless, limbless, barkless — scattering on all around 
its mouldering and unsavory dust. Sad emblem of 
the decayed and dead ministry of that deluded man 
who has lifted a profane tongue against the visitations 
of the Spirit of God, which accompany the gospel in 
the present day ! 

Youth. 1 must remind you that I am altogether in 
favor of such revivals as were granted in the days of 
Edwards and the reformers. It was only of these 
modern revivals that I said they do more harm than 
good. I spoke lightly of these only. 

Aged Man. Yes, so I understand you. And the 
Scribes and Pharisees were altogether in favor of the 
revivals under Samuel and Elijah, eight hundred or a 
thousand years before they were born. It was only 
of the then modern reformations, under the ministry 
of Christ and his apostles, that they wished to speak 
lightly or reproachfully. Let me warn you again, that 



192 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

you have taken a most perilous stand. Know you not 
that the Father of Lights is the same from age to age, 
" without variableness, or shadow of turning " ? Know 
you not that Jesus Christ is " the same yesterday, to- 
day, and forever " ? Know you not that the Holy 
Spirit is unchangeably the same ? Know you not that 
heaven and earth shall pass away, but one jot or one 
tittle of Christ's gospel shall not pass away ? The 
same divine Redeemer, the same word of truth, the 
same Holy Spirit, that were with the church, and in 
the church, on the day of Pentecost, are with the 
church, and in the church, at this day, and will be, to 
the end of the world. The guilt, therefore, of blas- 
pheming the Holy Ghost now, is the same as when 
Christ was on earth, or when the cloven tongues sat 
upon the apostles. I mentioned that all evil speaking 
against the Holy Ghost may not rise to the aggravation 
of the unpardonable sin. It is very clear that a Chris- 
tian minister may be deluded by the devil to so speak 
against the work of the Holy Spirit, that, while the 
sin may not actually kill both his soul and body in 
hell, yet it may cripple his ministry for life. He may 
be saved at last, " yet so as by fire." That is, his 
soul may be saved, while his works are burned up in 
the flames of the great day. In conclusion, let me 
admonish you to read the comments of God's provi- 
dence on the lessons taught in his word. It is of these 
lessons that the inspired psalmist says, " Whoso is wise, 
and will observe these things, even they shall under- 
stand." (Ps. cvii. 43.) Now, observe the comments 
of Providence. Did the men who resisted the work 
under Edwards and Whitefield ever prosper afterwards, 
as preachers of the gospel ? Was not the rebuke of 



THE LIVING AND DEAD PROPHETS. 193 

God on them till the day of their death ? Look at the 
comments of Providence, at a later day. Where are the 
men who made themselves conspicuous in our country, 
but a few years ago, in opposition to revivals ? Has God 
blessed their ministry since ? Are they not crippled 
for life ? Has not their ministry, ever since, been like 
the seven ears of corn, in Pharaoh's second vision, 
" withered and thin, and blasted with the east wind " ? 
Ah, my young friend, I have seen enough in the vol- 
ume of God's word, and, during some years past, in 
the volume of his providence, to make me tremble for 
the man who employs his tongue and his breath in 
stigmatizing, or even mocking, and making light of 
the manifestations of God's Spirit, at this day, in con- 
nection with the truths of his glorious gospel ! Pitia- 
ble and forlorn is his condition who is driven to the 
wretched expedient of building the sepulchre of some 
dead prophet, in order to quiet a conscience that is 
troubled in view of his having scoffed at the divine 
mercy that accompanies the ministry of the prophet 
that is living. 

17 



194 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 



THE DIVINITY STUDENT 



When the red man, retreating before the face of his 
white brother, forsook those romantic and beautiful 
regions that are watered by the Holstein and the 
Tennessee, divine Providence planted a people there 
remarkable for their attachment to the Bible. Bible 
history, Bible doctrines, and Bible religion were " the 
joy of their heart, and the boast of their tongue. " 
Divine truth, revealed in the word of God, was their 
u meat and their drink." It was their daily study. It 
was their literature. It was the theme of their social 
intercourse. It was the source of their consolations 
on earth, and the foundation of their hopes for immor- 
tality. The learned theologian, who chanced to pass 
that way, was delighted and surprised to find, in a new 
and comparatively rough country, among a plain, unos- 
tentatious people, views of divine truth clearer than 
the crystal streams that flowed among their towering 
hills, and sweeter than the salubrious breezes that 
fanned their mountain country. The following anec- 
dote will show with what accuracy and discrimination 
the great doctrines of the gospel were studied in the 
west, at that early day : — 

Dr. Anderson, now of the theological seminary at 
Maryville, had undertaken the supervision of an acade- 
my in Knox county, Tennessee, as early as the year 
1807. Among his students was Abel Pearson, a youth 



THE DIVINITY STUDENT. 195 

who had embraced religion, and who, while pursuing 
his literary studies, exhibited great appetite and capacity 
for investigating the sublime philosophy of the plan of 
salvation. This greatly delighted his instructor, who, 
though then quite a young minister, had already begun 
to display those gigantic powers, as an expounder of 
Bible truth, which have since been so astonishingly 
unfolded to the edification and joy of the church. 
Learned critics, in comparing the Iliad of Homer with 
the Odyssey, have alleged that the latter poem, having 
more narrative and less fire than the former, bears the 
marks of old age. An elegant writer observes, that if 
the Odyssey has the marks of old age, it is the old age 
of Homer. In like manner, I observe, that if the 
academical instructor above mentioned was then but a 
youth, it was the youth of Isaac Anderson. And of 
the student I may say, that he was a student worthy 
of his instructor. 

This young man, before completing his studies, was 
providentially called into a neighboring county, where 
strong prejudices were entertained against the Presby- 
terian church, their doctrines were denounced as hor- 
rible, and even their ministers were assailed as learned 
Pharisees, who preached merely from their learning, 
without any heart-religion, &c, &c, while their assail- 
ants claimed a species of inspiration, and professed to 
preach from the immediate teachings of the Spirit. 

Our student, after a long day's ride, stopped for the 
night at a house where one of these semi-inspired 
preachers had an appointment to deliver a sermon at 
candle light. The congregation assembled, the minister 
came, and our young man took his place in the audi- 
ence unobserved. The preacher proved to be a red-hot 



196 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

Arminian, who boasted that his back had never been 
rubbed against the walls of a college, and whose zeal 
for the propagation of his peculiarities was sufficiently 
ardent, though his knowledge of polemic theology was 
somewhat scant. Endowed, however, with lungs of 
great power, he commenced and "reported progress," 
dealing, as he moved along, many a merciless blow at 
John Calvin, John Knox, John Wetherspoon, and others, 
all and singular, who have maintained the doctrines 
of the Presbyterian church, warning his audience, in 
the mean time, to use his own expression, against " the 
great, high-learned men," who were preaching in some 
of the neighboring counties. While in the full tide 
of his boisterous declamation, it appeared, doubtless, 
to his own mind, quite problematical whether Calvin- 
ism would be able to survive the terrors of that dreadful 
night ; but as all preceding storms had been succeeded 
by a calm, so it turned out in this case. The sermon 
closed. The audience dispersed. The preacher, who 
remained with the family for the night, found himself 
in company with our student. 

Preacher. Do you live in this neighborhood, young 
man ? 

Student. No, sir. 

Preacher. Where is your home ? 

Student. In Knox county. 

Preacher. Are you a member of the church ? 

Student. Yes, sir. 

Preacher. To what church do you belong ? 

Student. I am a Presbyterian. 

Preacher. What ! a Presbyterian ? 

Student. Yes, sir. 

Preacher. Why, do you believe the confession of 
faith ? 



THE DIVINITY STUDENT. 197 

Student. Certainly I do ; or I should not be a Pres- 
byterian. 

Preacher. Why, sir, the confession of faith says, 
" God has, for his own glory, foreordained whatsoever 
comes to pass." 

Student. It does. 

Preacher. And do you believe that ? 

Student. Certainly I do. Do not you believe the 
Bible ?, 

Preacher. Yes ; but that language is not in the 
Bible. 

Student. The Bible tells you that God " worketh 
all things after the counsel of his own will," which is 
precisely the same doctrine. 

Preacher. But the doctrine of predestination is 
unreasonable. My reason revolts, whenever it is pre- 
sented. 

Student. I will examine that point with you, if 
you will answer each question I ask you, and then 
stick to the answer you have given. 

Preacher. I can easily do that ; but you could not 
make me acknowledge that doctrine in a lifetime. 

Student. I should not want a lifetime, unless it 
were a very short one. Remember, now, this is our 
agreement : you are to answer each question I ask, and 
then stick to the answer you have given. 

Preacher. Yes, that is the agreement. Now, come 
on with your questions. 

Student. You acknowledge that God foreknows all 
things from eternity ? 

Preacher. O, yes ; but then foreknowledge is a 
very different thing from predestination. 

Student. Well, we will not dispute about that 
17* 



198 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

now. You admit that God foreknew all events from 
eternity ? 

Preacher. Yes, certainly. I am not going to deny 
God's foreknowledge. 

Student. Well, stick to that. 

Preacher. 1 maintain the doctrine of God's fore- 
knowledge as firmly as you. 

• Student. If God from eternity foreknew all future 
events, it must have been in one of these three ways : 
First, he saw that future events would spring into 
existence by chance, without any cause ; or, second, 
he depended on some other being to bring them about ; 
or, third, he had determined to bring them about him- 
self. Can you think of any other method ? or was it 
not in one of these three ways ? 

Preacher. I suppose it was in one of these methods. 
I can think of no other. 

Student. Well, was it the first ? Did God from all 
eternity behold all future events springing into exist- 
ence by mere chance, without any cause ? 

Preacher. No, I think not. 

Student. To maintain that, would be atheism. 

Preacher. Yes, to say that God from eternity saw 
that all future events would spring into existence with- 
out any cause, merely by accident, would be atheism. 

Student. Well, there was a period when no being 
existed but God, — I mean the period before he had 
created either man or angels. Could he then have 
depended on any other being to bring into existence 
the future events which he foresaw, when there was 
no other being in existence ? 

Preacher. Certainly not. But what next ? 

Student. What do you say ? But one other method 



THE DIVINITY STUDENT. 199 

remains : that is, he himself had determined to bring 
them to pass. 

Preacher. Stop ! I was too fast. I should not 
have admitted your statement. There was another 
method, in which God foresaw the future existence of 
some things. 

Student. This is violating your agreement ; for 
you were to stick to the answer you had given. But 
let us hear what you were going to say. 

Preacher. I say God knew, from " the reason and 
nature of things," how some events would come to pass. 

Student. Pray, sir, what sort of a reason and nature 
had things, before God created all things, and gave 
them a reason and a nature ? Thus you see your 
whole foundation is swept away ; and you can find no 
resting-place, until you come back to the good old 
Bible doctrine, that " all things are of God." 

Preacher. Well, rather than admit that doctrine, I 
will deny that God foreknows all things. I would 
rather deny the foreknowledge of God, than admit the 
doctrine of predestination. 

Student. If you deny the foreknowledge of God, 
you may as well deny his present knowledge ; for the 
Bible teaches the one as plainly as the other ; and, 
indeed, there is scarcely a step from the position you 
have assumed, to the doctrine of him who " says in 
his heart, There is no God." Now, sir, you see the 
wretched result to which you come in this discussion 
with me ; and all this family see it. I am no minis- 
ter. I am but a youthful member of the Presbyterian 
church. I have no pretensions to distinction among 
them ; and yet you see how you have come out in 
this discussion with me. In the course of your sermon 



200 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

to-night, you said many things against those " great, 
high-learned men," who are preaching in the neigh- 
boring counties. You arraigned their motives, and 
denounced their principles. I must caution you to be 
more modest and moderate, and not hazard too much 
in this warfare ; for if you have come out thus wretch- 
edly in a little discussion with me — a mere stripling 
— a mere boy in the Presbyterian church — what on 
earth do you think would become of you, should you 
fall into the hands of one of those " great, high-learned 
men," whom you have been so violently and publicly 
denouncing. 

Here the discussion closed. Whether any permanent 
and profitable impression was left on the mind of the 
anti-Calvinistic preacher, is not certainly known. Of 
<:he divinity student, however, it should be recorded, 
that, in due time, he entered the gospel ministry. He 
became distinguished as an able expounder of the holy 
oracles. Many, very many, of our Lord's disciples in 
the west have sat under his ministry with great delight, 
while he has " fed them with knowledge and under- 
standing." Laboring, like the great apostle of the 
Gentiles, with his own hands, to supply his temporal 
wants, he has, without cost to the church, preached 
salvation to destitute thousands. And the author of 
the " Western Sketch-Book," with emotions of grati- 
tude to the Giver of all good, would record on this 
page, that he has had the privilege of profiting much 
by the clear, sublime, scriptural views of the mighty 
work of redemption, presented in the familiar conver- 
sations, the sermons, and the published writings of 
Rev. Abel Pearson. 



1HE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE. 201 



JO; OR, THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE 



About the year 1820, I became particularly acquainted 
with a venerable elder of the Presbyterian church in 
East Tennessee, whom I will introduce to the reader 
as Mr. M'Clellan. He was a man in humble circum- 
stances, advanced in life, and possessed of a very fine 
and highly-cultivated intellect. He belonged to that 
class of reading Christians, who were the glory of the 
primitive Presbyterian church in the west. The Bible, 
Henry's u Commentary," Doddridge's " Family Ex- 
positor," Boston's "Fourfold State," the " Bible Diction- 
ary " of John Brown of Haddington, Edwards " On the 
Will," Edwards " On the Affections," Newton's " Let- 
ters," Bellamy's " Wisdom of God in the Permission of 
Sin," &c, &c. : such is a sample of the works studied 
by the church at that period. Ah, " there were giants 
in the earth in those days," alongside of whom could 
some of our modern peacock-tail theologians be placed, 
they would soon learn to sympathize most fraternally 
with the spies sent out by Moses, when they said, " We 
were in our own sight as grasshoppers " ! The venerable 
Elder M'Clellan, mentioned above, was remarkable for 
the fervor, comprehensiveness, and power of his prayers. 
Although more than a quarter of a century has rolled 
into eternity since I last heard his voice, yet the very 
words employed in some of his earnest and thrilling 



202 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

petitions are fresh in my memory at this moment. 
The truth is, he had been baptized with the spirit of 
that great western revival in the year 1800, one of 
the distinguishing characteristics of which was the 
liberty, compass, and power of prayer, granted to the 
subjects of that divine visitation. 

Near the close of the year 1838, I visited the state 
of Mississippi, in order to labor, for a limited period, in 
connection with Rev. Messrs. Newton, Holley, and 
other esteemed brethren there. We were engaged, for 
a number of days, in a very interesting and solemn 
meeting at Grenada, and among those who came before 
the session and the church, professing "repentance 
towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ," 
was a young Mr. M'Clellan ; and lo, I was presently 
informed that he was a son of the worthy East Ten- 
nessee elder, with whom the reader is already acquaint- 
ed ! Like a good soldier in the Redeemer's service, 
having taken his stand in the church, he sees to it that 
his house is a house of prayer, and that his family is 
consecrated to God. From this son I learned that his 
venerable father had long since gone to his rest in 
heaven. 

Our meeting at Grenada closed on Monday evening. 
On that afternoon, or, perhaps, the next, an elder brother, 
Col. John M'Clellan, who had been up the country, 
near Holly Springs, and was now returning to his home, 
near Carrollton, called to spend a night with his brother 
in Grenada. Learning that his brother had made a 
profession of religion ; that he had joined himself to 
the church of God ; and finding, when the hour of 
prayer came, that he prayed in his family, and would 
do it even in presence of an ungodly brother, who 



THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE. 203 

was some twelve or fifteen years older than him- 
self, — the discovery of all this, O, it agitated the 
great deep of his soul. He remembered his pious 
father. He remembered his counsel, his example, and 
his prayers. He remembered the warnings, the im- 
pressions, and the vows of years, now forever gone. 
He thought of the prodigal son, who left his father's 
house, to chase the pleasures of the world. " Is not 
my word as a fire ? saith the Lord : and like a hammer 
that breaketh the rock in pieces?" Early the next 
morning, Col. M'Clellan, silent and solemn, set out for 
home. The character of his meditations and reflec- 
tions on the road can be more easily conceived by the 
reader, than described by me. 

On the following Thursday, according to appoint- 
ment, a sacramental meeting was commenced at Car- 
rollton. To that meeting I went in company with 
Rev. Mr. Newton and Rev. Mr. Holley. It was early 
when we reached the meeting-house ; but Col. M'Clel- 
lan and his entire family were already there, though 
his residence was six miles distant. He was standing, 
with a few others, who had come early, near the door 
of the church. When we had arrived, Mr. Newton 
introduced me to Col. M. I shook hands with him, 
saying, " How do you do, Col. M. ? I am happy to 
see you." This last remark was made in reference to 
the fact, that I had been acquainted with his father, 
and had also seen him in his younger years. I was 
now introduced to one and another of the gentlemen 
who were standing round, and engaged in some tran- 
sient conversation, when brother Holley came, and 
asked me to step off a little way from the company. 
" Why," said he, " Col. M. is very much troubled, 
because you called him 'Jo.' " 



204 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

" Because I called him ' Jo ' ? Why, he is altogether 
mistaken. I didn't call him ' Jo.' " 

" Yes ; but he says that when you were introduced 
to him, you said, < How do you do, Joseph ? ' And he 
says that his name is John. Jo was a brother in the 
family ; but the colonel says his name is John. Jo 
was the drinking one." 

" Very good. I have no doubt that the colonel's 
name is John. I did not know that there was a Jo in 
the family, and therefore very certainly did not call 
him 'Jo.' " 

About this juncture, brother Newton, our other 
preacher, came up, and, addressing me, said, " Col. 
M. is quite vexed, because you called him ' Jo,' when 
you were introduced to him." 

"But I did not call him 'Jo.' I did not say 'Jo,' 
nor think ' Jo.' The fact is, I did not know that there 
was a Jo in the family." 

" But he is very positive that you did ; and he says 
that his name is John. Jo was a brother. Jo was the 
drinking one." 

" Why, this is a very strange affair. What on earth 
can have put it into the colonel's head, that I called 
him ' Jo,' when I didn't know that there was a Jo in 
the family ? I am entirely satisfied that his name should 
be John.'' 1 Such was my reply to brother Newton ; 
but I must here tell the reader what, at that time, I 
myself did not know — that is, it was the colonel's 
conscience that had said " Jo," and pronounced it so 
distinctly, that he thought the name was uttered by 
me ; and he was so affected by it, that he hurried 
round among his acquaintances, telling them that I 
had called him " Jo," and resolutely maintaining that 
his name was John. 



THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE. 205 

The people of the congregation were yet in the act 
of assembling, and, as it was a full half hour until 
preaching-time, I concluded to step into a house, that 
was near by, and sit down for a few minutes. As soon 
as I had entered, Mrs. More, the lady of the house, in- 
troduced me to a very respectable-looking, well-dressed 
Mississippi lady — " This is Mrs. Col. M." I spoke to 
her, and then took a seat. She immediately turned 
her fine, broad eye and full countenance upon me, and, 
with much earnestness, said, " This is not ' Jo.' My 
husband's name is John. Jo was a brother of my 
husband ; but it was John that was introduced to you." 

" So I learn, madam — so I learn," said I, surprised 
that the colonel should have found opportunity to com- 
municate to so many persons the unlucky misnomer, 
though imaginary, which had so greatly disturbed him. 
Scarcely, however, had the good lady and I come to a 
satisfactory understanding that her husband's name was 
John, and that Jo was quite another person, when the 
colonel himself approached. His step, his counte- 
nance, his whole attitude and bearing, showed that 
something of immense weight was pressing on his 
mind. Wholly ignorant of the number of persons who 
had already attempted to enlighten me on the subject, 
he planted his tall, fine figure directly in front of my 
chair, and, with great gravity, thus began : — 

" My name is John. Jo was a brother of mine ; 
but my name is John. 1 '' 

" Yes, yes, colonel. So I understand — so I under- 
stand." 

Now,. here was a mighty ado to get the fact estab- 
lished, that the colonel's name was not Jo, when no 
one had said he was Jo, or thought he was Jo. The 
18 



206 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

exact explanation of this matter I never fully learned. 
Whether, the colonel being an elder brother in the 
family, conscience now reproached him that he had 
not. after his father was taken away, set such an 
example to his younger brothers as was his duty, 
and the name of Jo came up in this connection, or 
whether, as "Jo was the drinking one," and conscience 
was now arraying before the colonel's agitated mind 
the long catalogue of his own misdeeds, he felt that 
these were as heavy as he could bear, and therefore 
resolved to stand manfully on the defensive, and repel 
the insinuation that he was Jo, and, consequently, 
liable to be held responsible for whatever Jo had done 
amiss. However all this may have been, the hour of 
preaching was now at hand, and the company left the 
house of Mrs. More, and went towards the church. 
When near the door, the colonel paused suddenly, and 
asked brothers Newton, Holley, and myself, to step 
aside with him, that he might speak a moment with 
us, unheard by others. When together thus, said he, 
" I wish to say to you, gentlemen, that you must not 
expect me to take any public step in religion at this 
meeting." Nobody had said that we expected him to 
take any public step in religion at that meeting. It 
reminded me of the schoolboy who denies before he 
is accused, which is not considered the best sign of 
innocence. " You must not," said the colonel, repeat- 
ing the caution — " you must not look for me to take 
any public step in religion at this meeting. At the 
same time, I don't want you to think that I am indif- 
ferent to Christ. I am not indifferent to Christ." His 
eyes filled with tears. His voice trembled. His utter- 
ance faltered. After a momentary pause, by a strong 



THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE. 207 

effort, he rallied his conversational powers, and pro- 
ceeded. " The fact is, gentlemen, I have been here 
in Mississippi, chasing the world, and neglecting the 
salvation of my soul. I now see that what I have 
been after is vanity, folly, emptiness. But, gentlemen, 
here is the point : I am not informed in religion. I 
tell you I am not informed. And, now, this is my 
plan : I will supply myself with good books, and take 
a course of reading, — a thorough course, gentlemen, 
— and will inform myself, before I take any public 
step in religion. You understand me, gentlemen. At 
present, I am not informed, and, therefore, you must 
not expect me to act." All this was said with much 
gracefulness and elegance of manner ; for the colonel 
was now a man in the prime of life, of fine personal 
appearance, easy and captivating address, and possess- 
ing quite an unusual flow and command of language. 
When the colonel had ceased his statement, I looked 
at him steadily, for a moment or two, but remained 
silent ; for having known much of his father, and of 
the opportunities of his father's family, I was con- 
strained to withhold my assent, absolutely, from the 
position, that he was " not informed " as to his duty. 
Mr. Newton, however, observed, " Well, colonel, I am 
glad to find that you are thinking seriously on the sub- 
ject of religion." With that, we all turned to enter 
the meeting-house. 

" One word more," said the colonel. " You will 
not, while here at Carrollton, be all the time engaged 
in preaching ; and now I wish any leisure moments 
you may have from public duties, during this meeting, 
to be employed in giving me the information which I 
need. Instruction, gentlemen, instruction is what I 
want." 



208 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

We now went into the church. There was a large 
audience, and the season of worship was deeply solemn. 
We then had an interval of some two hours, until the 
afternoon sermon. The colonel went to his lodgings, 
and waited anxiously for some of the ministers to come 
and " inform " him in relation to his duty. But no one 
came. He thought it strange that his case was not 
more fully appreciated. To his own mind, his guilt 
and danger appeared such, that he thought every min- 
ister on the ground should be laboring and praying for 
his salvation ; and yet, had any one come, and attempt- 
ed to guide or direct him while in this state of mind, 
he would, doubtless, have held back, and fended off in 
fine style. Such is the contradiction often found in 
the awakened sinner. He is unwilling to be let alone, 
and yet he will refuse the best counsel that can be 
given him. But now the hour of public worship had 
come, and the colonel returned to the church. 

The afternoon service was impressive, and stillness 
and deep solemnity characterized the congregation. 
Again there was a recess of some two or three hours, 
until the time for the night sermon. " Now," thought 
the colonel, " my request will be regarded, beyond a 
doubt. Some of the ministers will presently come to 
labor with me." And he was prepared to " stand upon 
his reserved rights." But no one came. The first 
hour passed away, and the second, and the third ; but 
no one came. He now felt a strong temptation to be 
offended — to look upon himself as a neglected, injured 
man ; and he returned to the church at night, " heavy 
and displeased." 

This night's meeting rose in interest and solemnity 
beyond either of the others. Judge Shattuck was 



THE VOICE OE CONSCIENCE. 209 

called on to offer up the concluding prayer. He was a 
local Methodist preacher, who lived in the near neigh- 
borhood, a man of worth and exemplary piety. His 
prayer was appropriate and powerful. After the con- 
gregation was dismissed, Col. M. tarried a little, to give 
opportunity to any of the ministers, who were so dis- 
posed, to address to him a word of counsel or exhorta- 
tion ; but, strange to tell, they all put off to their 
several homes, without making the attempt, or even 
noticing the opportunity. This was wholly out of 
the question. There is a point beyond which patience 
itself ceases to be a virtue. So the colonel resolved, 
that, as the Presbyterians were so inexcusably and 
shamefully negligent, he would go right down to Judge 
Shattuck, the Methodist preacher ; for surely the man 
who had just offered up such a prayer would be glad 
to converse with him about the state of his souL So 
off he started, through the darkness, blundering along, 
and finally reached the house. He knocked at the 
door. It was opened by Judge Shattuck, who received 
him pleasantly, and helped him to a chair. The col- 
onel sat down in silence, hoping that the judge would 
introduce the desired conversation. The judge, how- 
ever, started off into a lively discussion of the condi- 
tion of the Brandon Bank ; the amount of specie in its 
vaults, compared with its circulation ; and the proba- 
bilities of its ever being able to meet its liabilities, &c, 
&c. The colonel was amazed that a minister of the 
gospel could expatiate so fluently on such themes, 
when here a soul is before him in perishing need of 
religious instruction. " Bat surely he will be through 
presently," was his comforting reflection, "and then 
the other subject will come up." And, sure enough, 
18* 



210 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

before long, the judge came to a pause, though it was 
but a short one, when off he dashed in another direc- 
tion, discoursing earnestly about the whigs and the 
democrats ; the relative strength of the two great 
political parties in the state at large ; and which was 
likely to have a controlling influence in the legislature, 
at its approaching session. " This will never do," 
thought the colonel ; " I must introduce the subject 
of religion myself. — Judge Shattuck, that was a very 
solemn meeting to-night." " Yes," said Shattuck, 
rising to his feet ; " when you wish to lie down, there 
is a bed. Good night." And out he went, shutting 
the door after him. The colonel was astounded. 
Presently he heard the voice of singing. The family 
were at worship in another room, to which he was not 
invited. " Well, well," thought the colonel, " enough 
is enough. I see how the matter stands. If I wait 
for preachers, Presbyterian or Methodist, to pull me out 
of the horrible pit, I'm gone." So down he went on 
his knees, right there in the room, and told the Lord 
that if He would let him begin nov;, just with what 
" information " he had, he would flee from the wrath 
to come, and strive to enter in at the strait gate, and 
call for help from heaven, through the Lord Jesus 
Christ, as long as life should endure. 

I never had an opportunity of conversing with Judge 
Shattuck on this subject ; but there is no doubt that 
he understood the colonel's case fully, and treated it 
wisely; for he was a very shrewd and judicious man. 
Most likely he had often tried before to bring the Col- 
onel's mind to the subject of religion, when he had 
utterly refused to hear, and now thought it best to let 
him wrestle with his awakened conscience, without 



THE VOICE OF CONSCIENCE. 211 

the intermeddling of a third party. In the above sam- 
ple of their conversation, I pretend not to give accu- 
rately the very words used by Judge Shattuck. The 
narrative is strictly accurate in this — that it gives a fair 
specimen of the dexterous manner in which the judge 
played off from the main question, which the anxious 
sinner wished to have taken up, and abruptly ] left him 
alone, with his conscience and his God. The next 
morning, we all met at the church. The house was 
crowded, and the great Master of assemblies was there. 1 
In a little time, an opportunity was given to those who 
were resolved to forsake the ways of sin and follow 
the Savior, to manifest their determination, by coming 
forward, in the presence of the church^ that prayer 
might be offered up in their behalf, and suitable in- 
structions given. No sooner was the invitation published, 
than from the far end of the house, over benches, and 
blocks, and other obstructions, came the colonel, tears 
streaming over both his cheeks ; and down he knelt, 
among many others. After a solemn pause, he lifted 
up his voice in prayer ; and the depth of his prostra- 
tion of soul, the reverence expressed for the high and 
holy One, the wide range of his desires, the propriety, 
pathos, and power of his prayer, forcibly reminded me 
of his venerable father, whom I had heard pray so 
many years ago. The associations were affecting and 
overwhelming. I bowed my head amongst them there, 
to weep with those that wept, and rejoice with those 
that did rejoice. 

I will only add, further, that, during this interesting 
meeting, some twelve or fourteen gentlemen — a part 
of them were the heads of families ; all of them were 
in the prime of life — commenced praying publicly in 
the prayer meetings of the church. 



212 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

As for the colonel, my esteem for him grew with 
my acquaintance ; and when I returned to Missouri, I 
wrote him a fraternal letter, as a memorial of friend- 
ship. And when I had told him how the Lord had 
graciously preserved my family during my absence, 
and desired him to remember me to the many dear 
friends I had left in Mississippi, and signed my name 
to the letter, I wrote on the left-hand side of the page, 
opposite my name, " Col. John M'Clellan," making a 
heavy score under John. I then folded the letter, and 
directed it thus : " Col. John M'Clellan, Carrollton, 
Mississippi," again emphasizing the John with a heavy 
score. I knew that when the colonel received it, he 
would understand it all, and be satisfied that in my 
letter, at least, I had not called him " Jo." 



RED RIVER. 213 



RED RIVER 



In the month of January, 1845, I made my first visit 
to the people on Red River. Some of my acquaint- 
ances had emigrated to that region, and had written to 
me, stating that a number of members and friends of 
the Presbyterian church were already in that country ; 
and that if some of our ministers could go and labor 
for a time among them, their hearts would be strength- 
ened and encouraged, infant churches might be organ- 
ized, and a foundation laid for extensive permanent 
good. 

On landing at Shreveport, about seven hundred miles 
above New Orleans, I was astonished to learn that the 
American settlements on Red River were already so 
extensive. While I was there, a steamboat, loaded 
with cotton, came down from a point some four hun- 
dred miles higher up on the river ; and the oldest mer- 
chants in Shreveport — that is, those who had been 
there seven or eight years — were expressing their 
amazement at the rapidity with which the American 
settlements were extending west. 

I was led to the reflection, that we should look with 
much indulgence on the mistakes of English travellers, 
and travellers from the eastern sections of our own 
country, concerning the condition of the west, when 
we find that its growth and advancement outstrip the 



214 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

conceptions of those who have been born, and have 
spent all their days, in its bosom. 

Much of the population in this part of the country 
was from the extreme south — Georgia, Alabama, and 
* South Carolina. Many of them were religious people, 
of highly cultivated minds, and ardent piety. Not a 
few of them were the acquaintances and personal 
friends of John C. Calhoun. Their admiration and 
esteem for the great statesman were wonderful — not 
as a politician merely, but as an eminently good man. 
Repeatedly was I assured by them, that we, who 
know the honorable senator only as a political man, 
know but little of his sterling worth, compared with 
those who have had access to his society, as a citizen 
at home, a neighbor, and a member of the church of 
Christ. 

While laboring at Shreveport, I was called on by a 
Baptist preacher, who told me that he lived in Texas, 
and that he would be pleased to travel with me, if I 
would consent to spend some time in that republic ; 
and as he was well acquainted with the country, and 
the roads were few and obscure, he could be service- 
able to me as a guide. I accepted his kind offer, and 
set him a time when I would meet him at Greenwood, 
within four miles of the Texas frontier. At this 
period, Texas was no part of the American Union. 
When the appointed time had come, my Baptist 
preacher met me at Greenwood ; and we started for 
his home, which was at the distance of eighteen miles. 
We passed the broad lane, cut through the tall timber, 
which showed the boundary line between the United 
States and the young republic ; and after swimming 
some streams, and traversing divers canebrakes, we 



RED RIVER. 215 



reached the house of my friend in safety. Many of 
the neighbors were assembled, according to an appoint- 
ment previously made ; and on that night I had the 
privilege, for the first time in my life, of preaching the 
gospel beyond the limits of the United States. 

Early the next morning, my friend and I set out for 
Marshall, the county seat of Harrison county, Texas. 
It was eighteen miles; yet he uttered no word of re- 
luctance about going so far ; and the country was so 
new and pathless, that I should scarcely have found 
the way without a guide. When we had gained an 
eminence that overlooked the town, the Baptist preacher 
reined up his horse, and took a survey of the prospect 
before us. It was not very promising. The buildings 
were mostly small log houses, covered with clapboards ; 
and the bushes were growing all over the public square, 
and along the streets. " Stop," said he ; " there is not 
an ear of corn in this place." I did not, at first, com- 
prehend his meaning, and asked what it was that he 
had remarked. " There is not one ear of corn in this 
place. We cannot find accommodation even for our 
horses. Come, let us go back. I have an appointment 
for the Sabbath in my neighborhood. Our people will 
be glad to hear you preach. Come, let us go back." 

" I think I am too old a soldier to adopt that course," 
was my reply. " I have been on many a hard cam- 
paign ; and I think 1 must go down into the town, and 
see who live here, before I can consent to leave the 
neighborhood." 

" Very well," said he ; " if that is your determina- 
tion, I will go with you." So on we rode into the 
public square of the town of Marshall. 

After reconnoitring for a little time, we entered a 



216 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

lawyer's office, that bordered on the public square. 
He was from the state of Georgia. His name was 
William Pinkney Hill. I told him that I was a Pres- 
byterian minister ; and that I had come to visit them, 
and would be pleased to have the opportunity of 
preaching to the people of Marshall and the vicinity. 
He received me in a manner the most gentlemanly and 
cordial, expressed a high degree of satisfaction that I 
had come on such an errand, and said he would forth- 
with take measures for having a congregation assem- 
bled on the next day. Moreover, he kindly invited 
me to make his house my home while I should remain 
in the country, which invitation I very gladly accepted ; 
and, truly, I found it a most delightful home. Yes, the 
recollection of the interesting and worthy family into 
which I was thus introduced, has often, in succeeding 
years, awaked in my soul the most lively and pleasing 
emotions. 

In this neighborhood, at that time, resided also Mr. 
Van Zandt, the former minister from Texas to the 
United States. From him, and from his family, I 
received many kind attentions. Other names, and 
other families, occur to my mind, that might, with 
much propriety, be mentioned here, were it not for 
swelling the record beyond the intended bounds. I 
must not, however, omit the mention of a young 
lawyer, whose state of mind interested me greatly. 
He was possessed of a fine intellect, good habits, and 
a warm heart. He was a native of New Hampshire, 
and, after completing his education, had gone to Texas, 
hoping to earn a livelihood by the practice of the law. 
He had been successful. His worldly prospects were 
now very flattering ; and, like " the younger son, in a 



RED RIVER. 217 



far country," he began to call to mind the privileges 
of his father's house. He attended our meetings, and 
appeared to take a lively interest in the preaching of 
the gospel. I first noticed the expression of deep and 
strong emotion in his countenance when the follow- 
ing appeal was made, near the close of a sermon : "It 
is true, friends, that your country is yet new. As the 
night draws on, you still hear the howl of the hungry 
wolf, and that howl is answered by the shrill scream 
of the fierce panther ; and brief is the space since your 
hills and valleys echoed the wild yell and the ominous 
warwhoop of the savage and hostile Indian. Yes, your 
country is yet new. Its inhabitants are thinly scat- 
tered here and there, mostly strangers to each other ; 
and the church of the blessed Savior has scarcely 
begun to put on a visible form among you. But this 
land is Immanuel's land. It has been given to Christ 
in the covenant of redemption, and it will yet be filled 
with his glory. The beautiful house of God will rise 
in your village, and its tali spire will point to that 
heaven that is above. The Sabbath bell will swing 
its loud summons over these plains, and glad multitudes 
will assemble and worship God. Here the long table 
will be spread, in commemoration of the Savior's dying 
love ; and thousands will join their voices, and send up 
hallelujahs to the Lamb that was slain." While these 
and similar thoughts were expressed, the countenance 
of the young lawyer evinced strong feeling, and his 
eyes were dimmed with tears. Not long afterwards, I 
was walking slowly in a small path near the outskirts 
of the little town, when I saw the young lawyer ap- 
proaching. It* was evident that he wished to speak 
with me. I at once afforded him the opportunity. 
19 



218 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

" When I was in New Hampshire," said he, " I thought 
there was no particular urgency why I should attend 
to the subject of religion. My parents were both 
living. They were examples of piety. I had also 
around me many other Christian friends, who were 
ever ready to impart to me good counsel, and to 
remember me in their prayers. I persuaded myself, 
therefore, that there was no special call for me, indi- 
vidually, to be much concerned on the subject. But 
it is far otherwise now. I see the broad road is open 
wide before me. My parents and pious friends are 
distant three thousand miles. There is no one here to 
watch, to counsel, or to rebuke me, in case I should 
go astray. I feel that there is a solemn responsibility 
resting on myself. I must think, I must watch, and I 
must care for myself, or ruin is before me." The 
statement of this interesting young man affected me 
much at the time ; and it never recurs to my mind 
without awaking the liveliest emotion. What a pre- 
cious treasure is granted to that youth who has been 
blessed with pious parental training ! 

In this country I spent more than three months, 
preaching sometimes in the towns, and sometimes from 
house to house. I organized a church of twenty mem- 
bers in Shreveport, and another, of fourteen members, 
in Marshall, Texas, and formed, moreover, many de- 
lightful friendships among the citizens. No person, 
unacquainted with the character of the population in 
the new settlements of the west, would imagine the 
amount of educated mind which I found in the Red 
River country. I became acquainted with quite a 
number of men, comparatively young, whose talents 
and acquirements would have entitled them to a high 



RED RIVER. 219 



station in society in any part of the United States. 
The hospitality for which new countries are proverbial 
was here in its full perfection. The stranger was wel- 
come at every house, and welcome to stay as long as 
suited his convenience ; and, more than all this, there 
was a strong desire for the gospel, that stood out as a 
marked peculiarity of this population. 

A physician and his lady, who had been members 
of the Presbyterian church in Yirginia, rode with me 
twelve miles on the morning of the day on which I 
preached my last sermon at Greenwood. As we drew 
near the house of worship, the lady expressed her 
gladness and her gratitude that she could hear the 
gospel preached so near to her home, by a minister of 
her own church. And the physician, her husband, 
told me that he had been united with the church in 
Virginia — indeed, had been a ruling elder — but that 
he had sustained great spiritual loss by emigrating to 
this destitute region. After the sermon at Greenwood, 
a lady came to me, and said, " I have a certificate from 
a church in New York. If a Presbyterian church can 
be formed in this neighborhood, I wish you to take my 
name, as one that desires to unite in its formation." 
Five gentlemen then came to me, and said, " We do 
not consider ourselves worthy to be church members ; 
but we wish to give you our names, as those who 
desire to be enrolled as members of a Presbyterian 
congregation, and who are willing to combine, for the 
purpose of sustaining divine worship in this com- 
munity." 

These facts are recorded as samples of the state of 
the public mind in the Red River country, on the 
subject of religion, in the year 1845. I remember 



220 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

conversing with but one person who professed to en- 
tertain any doubts of the divine authenticity of the 
Bible ; and he was not a scoffer, but professed to be in 
search of more light on the subject. I preached at 
this man's house, and was treated by him with much 
attention and kindness. Indeed, the entire Red River 
country, on both the Louisiana and Texas side of the 
line, seemed a field " white to the gospel harvest." 
In this interesting and promising field, I met with the 
Right Reverend Bishop Polk, of the Episcopal church. 
He was laboring, with truly apostolic zeal, for the ad- 
vancement of the Christian body of which he is a 
member. I was greatly gratified to meet the good 
bishop in such circumstances ; and the interview made 
an impression on my mind too deep to be passed over 
in silence, in this sketch of my excursion through 
the Red River region. I understood that a bounti- 
ful Providence had bestowed on the bishop the good 
things of this world in great abundance ; that his 
home abounded in all that can render home desirable ; 
yet, instead of nursing himself up in the lap of lux- 
ury, he was here in the open field, fulfilling the duties 
of a hardy soldier. He seemed to shrink from no per- 
sonal exposure ; was willing, if necessary, to subsist 
on the coarsest fare ; and would lodge in the flat-boat 
at the river-side, in the half-faced camp, or in the rudest 
log cabin, if, by any means, he might find the lost 
sheep that was wandering and bewildered amidst these 
extensive wilds, exposed to ravenous beasts, and ready 
to perish, and might have an agency in leading the 
wanderer back to the fold of the great Shepherd. I 
looked on this self-denying bishop of the Episcopal 
church with much regard and veneration. I could not 



RED RIVER. 221 



but " esteem him very highly in love for his works' 
sake." It was, indeed, a beautiful example of minis- 
terial consecration, and the constraining power of the 
love of Christ. And when I saw this zealous Episco- 
palian traversing the rough face of the wide and path- 
less wilderness, in order, like his divine Master, " to 
seek and to save that which was lost," I felt rebuked 
for my own church — yes, my own beloved Presby- 
terian church. In that " long cloud " of emigrant 
population, that now stretches from the great lakes of 
the north to the Gulf of Mexico, and, like the pillar in 
front of Israel, gradually moves westward, the Presby- 
terian church has many valuable families, and very 
many valuable members ; but who of our prominent 
ministers have been willing to devote even a small 
portion of their ministerial life to the feeding of these 
hungry sheep? Methodist bishops and Episcopal 
bishops can see the importance of an early occupancy 
of this immense field ; and they are found " lengthen- 
ing the cords and strengthening the stakes " of their 
Zion through all the extent of this mighty territory. 
Many thousands of our people are dispersed abroad 
over this land. But, I ask again, what prominent 
Presbyterian ministers have been willing to spend 
even three months in twenty years, laboring to plant 
branches of the blessed vine in this promising soil ? 

In the summer of 1843, a venerable elder of our 
church at Richmond, Ray county, Missouri, gave me 
the following statement. I record it here because it is 
worthy of being made known to all our ministers. 
The excellent elder has now departed from the church 
below ; but his words will long remain imprinted on 
my memory. 

19* 



222 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

*' A large number of the early settlers in the upper 
counties on the Missouri were either members of the 
Presbyterian church, or persons who had a decided 
preference for that branch of the great Christian fam- 
ily. Indeed, this preference — or I should rather call it 
attachment — was so strong, that, for a number of years, 
they could not brook the thought of identifying them- 
selves with any other Christian denomination. Our 
hope was, that some of our experienced and able min- 
isters would visit oar people, preach to them, encourage 
them, organize chinches where members in sufficient 
numbers could be found, and cause our population to 
feel that they were noticed ; that the body of the 
church cared for them ; and that there was something 
for them in prospect. Young men, just from the col- 
lege or the theological seminary, however important 
and useful in their place, were not exactly what we 
wanted here. We wanted men of some age and ex- 
perience, who would know how to collect and com- 
bine the material already on the ground, and lay the 
foundations for coming ages. This is, in substance, 
what we desired. We looked, Ave waited — yes, we 
waited long : but our ministers did not come. Those 
of other denominations came, — the Methodists, the 
Campbellites, or Reformers, the Baptists, also, — and 
began to occupy important locations ; but the Pres- 
byterians — such men as we needed — were looked 
for, and waited for, in vain. That part of the popula- 
tion," continued the old man, with a flush of strong 
emotion in his visage, and his eyes suffused with tears, 
— " that part of the population who loved our church, 
persevered in waiting. For twelve or fifteen years, 
there was scarcely the shadow of wavering in their 



RED RIVER. 223 



ranks ; and, had there been any cheering prospect 
ahead, they would willingly have waited longer. But 
there was none. The men that we needed and desired 
did not come. Finally, the children in our families 
began to approach maturity. They had known but 
little of our church, and, of course, had but little of 
that strong attachment of which I have spoken. A 
young daughter, approaching womanhood, would be 
impressed at a Campbellite meeting, and join that 
body. A sister would follow her example. Then, 
perhaps, a brother. At length, the mother would con- 
clude that she had better follow her children ; and, last 
of all, the father would be overcome, and go with his 
entire household into another communion. Such is, 
substantially, the history of a vast number of valuable 
families that have gone from our beloved church, to 
return no more. Ah, had the Presbyterian church, for 
the last twenty-five or thirty years, kept a proper num- 
ber of her experienced and effective men employed 
among the destitute in the new settlements, those who 
pray for her prosperity might now have contemplated 
the results with glad and grateful hearts. The neglect 
of some such efficient system for the benefit of her 
scattered population has occasioned an immense loss to 
the Presbyterian church — yes, a loss that cannot be 
retrieved in many generations." 

Such was the substance of the worthy elder's state- 
ment, in the year 1843, concerning the upper counties 
on the north side of the Missouri River. I saw its 
correctness ; I felt its force ; and deeply did I sympa- 
thize with him in his regrets. Now, in 1845, I found 
in the Red River country the same state of society, in 
all essential particulars, which had existed at an early 



224 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

day in Northern Missouri. I saw that there was a rich 
harvest there, of very great extent, which might be 
gathered, if laborers could be found to enter into that 
harvest. 

I stood on the bank of Red River, by the side of a 
dear brother, whose " heart trembled for the ark of 
God." Said he, " We are glad that you have come to 
preach to us, and that you have staid so long. But 
now that you must leave us, what can we do ? You 
see the condition of our country. A little labor, sea- 
sonably bestowed on this field, would secure great 
results. What shall we do ? Cannot some of the 
middle-aged ministers, up in your country, be per- 
suaded to make us a visit, and continue with us a few 
months ? There is scarcely a man, of any note, who 
has been preaching fifteen or twenty years in Missouri, 
Illinois, Kentucky, Ohio, or the states farther east, 
but would find, on visiting this country, many of his 
former hearers and acquaintances. We have been so 
very destitute, that a little preaching would do us great 
good. We cannot expect to have ministers perma- 
nently settled in each neighborhood, in a country so 
new as ours. The day, we hope, is coming, when that 
rich blessing will be enjoyed even here ; but the whole 
country should be explored, as speedily as practicable, 
by men of experience and judgment, that the religious 
population already on the ground may be embodied 
and organized. An organization, even though it be 
small, will hold together and subsist for years, when 
the same materials, left in an unorganized state, would 
be dissipated and scattered to the four winds." 

Said I to this friend, " What is the extent of the 
country, west of Red River, which is already settled ? '■ 



RED RIVER. 225 



M I would say that it is six hundred miles in length, 
by four hundred in breadth." 

" Well, you know that when our divine Savior sent 
out his disciples to preach, he sent them * two and two.' 
The promise to Israel by Moses was. that ' one should 
chase a thousand, and two should put ten thousand to 
flight ; ' that is, two of God's Israel, when acting 
together, can do tenfold more than one would be able 
to accomplish alone. When Paul and Barnabas, and 
Paul and Silas, went together, according to Christ's 
original plan, what mighty results followed that minis- 
try ! Now, could the condition of this country, and 
the importance of the present crisis, be laid before our 
brethren in the better-supplied portions of our church, 
peradventure ten or twelve ministers might be found, 
who would be willing to come and explore this broad 
land, two and two, travelling together according to the 
Savior's plan. Could not much be accomplished in 
one campaign of five or six months, by ten or twelve 
enterprising and self-denying ministers ? " 

The countenance of my friend kindled up at the 
suggestion. His eye sparkled, his features glowed 
with ardent anticipation, as he exclaimed, " It would 
be as ' life from the dead,' to the cause of religion 
throughout all this region. The fact, that the church 
cared so much for her scattered and destitute children, 
expressed in that unequivocal and affectionate form, 
would be of great importance and value. The labors 
of such self-denying ambassadors of Christ would 
doubtless be accompanied with the happiest results. A 
good impression would thus be made on the whole 
population, that would be remembered while the present 
generation remains alive. An impetus would be given 



226 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

to the cause of religion in this land, that might go 
down to the end of time." 

Such was the substance of my last conversation 
with that pious friend, as we stood together on the bank 
of Red River. I returned to the country up the Missis- 
sippi. I brought the subject of this great missionary 
enterprise before many of our ministers and people. 
They saw at once its importance, and its feasibility. 
But such an undertaking requires time; and before 
the suitable men could be found, and the necessary 
arrangements completed, we were startled by the thun- 
ders of the Mexican war. The smoke arose, and dark- 
ened all the land, and multitudes of armed men were 
called to muster on the very field of our contemplated 
mission. Without interfering at all with the political 
question concerning the war, it was evident that the 
opportunity of doing a great work was, for the time, 
cut off. But though at that time we were constrained 
to a temporary abandonment of this important enter- 
prise, I hope our church will yet resume it under hap- 
pier auspices. Yes, I hope that our church will wake 
up to that great enterprise — an early occupancy of 
the frontier settlements by missionaries of talent and 
experience. Much, very much, has been lost irrecov- 
erably by the neglect of this momentous work during 
the last thirty years. " O that my head were wa- 
ters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might 
weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of 
my people ! " 

Those, only, who have traversed the mighty west in 
its length and in its breadth, can properly appreciate 
the importance of its moral culture to the church, to 
our country, and to the world. I stood on the bank 



RED RIVER. 227 



of the Mississippi, opposite the mouth of the Missouri 
River, where, after its long career from the Rocky 
Mountains, the wild and turbid Missouri unites with 
the clear and tranquil wave of the " father of waters." 
I was meditating on the connection of this great coun- 
try with the kingdom of Christ. I looked south, and 
thought of the twelve hundred miles from the point 
where I then stood to the Gulf of Mexico. I looked 
north, and thought of the sixteen hundred miles to the 
head of the Mississippi. I looked east, and thought of 
the thirteen hundred miles to the head of the Ohio 
valley. I looked west, and thought of the three thou- 
sand miles to the head of the Missouri. I thought of 
the immense capacity of this land to sustain human 
life. I thought of the teeming millions who will pres- 
ently be here. I seemed almost to hear the tread of 
coming generations ; and I lifted my hand to heaven, 
and said, " Lord Jesus, this land shall be thine ! We 
will preach and pray. We will hold up the banner of 
thy dying love, and call for help from on high, till 
waves of redeeming mercy shall roll over these wide 
plains, and along the shores of these mighty rivers. 
And among the multitudes of people that shall dwell 
here, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess, 
to the Lamb that was slain." 

AN INDIAN TRADITION. 

That part of Louisiana which borders on Texas, in 
the region where I labored, is called Caddo Parish. 
The name is taken from a tribe of Indians that once 
occupied this country. The remains of their villages 
are yet to be seen in several neighborhoods. This 



228 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

ancient tribe of Indians, when first visited by the 
Americans, had among them a tradition of the flood 
altogether remarkable, and as worthy of being pre- 
served as any of the traditions on that subject, that 
have been found amongst the East Indian Brahmins, or 
the inhabitants of Peru, in the southern part of our 
own continent. 

Thomas Jefferson, while president of the United 
States, about the year 1805, communicated to congress 
the following report of certain American officers, who 
had explored the Red River country : — 

" About forty miles above the mouth of Little River, 
which empties into Red River two hundred and seventy- 
seven miles above its mouth, there is a large prairie, 
forty miles long. Near the middle of the prairie there 
is a lake, of about five miles in circumference. It is 
of an oval form, and neither tree nor shrub near it ; 
nor is there any stream of water running either into 
it or out of it. This lake is very deep, and the water 
so perfectly limpid, that a fish may be seen at the 
depth of fifteen feet from the surface. By the side 
of this lake, the Caddo, or Caddoque, tribe of Indians 
have lived from time immemorial. About one mile 
from the lake is a hill, on which, they say, the Great 
Spirit placed one Caddo family, who were saved when, 
by a general deluge, all the world were drowned ; and 
from that one family, they declare, all the Indians have 
originated. To this little natural eminence, all the 
Indian tribes, for a great distance, as well as the Cad- 
doques, pay a devout and sacred homage." 

The report of this exploring party further goes on 
to say, that " the whole number of what they call 
warriors of the ancient Caddo nation, is now (that is, 



RED RIVER. 229 



in 1805) reduced to one hundred, who are looked upon 
somewhat like the knights of Malta, or some distin- 
guished military order. They are brave, despise dan- 
ger and. death, and boast that they have never shed 
white man's blood." 
20 



230 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK 



THE RED RIVER BUZZARD 



When the time drew nigh that I had set for leaving 
the Red River country, I announced to the people of 
Shreveport and the neighborhood, that if they would 
collect their children at the court-house, I would at- 
tempt to preach a sermon particularly adapted to them. 
The people were pleased with the proposition ; and on 
the last day of my stay among them, a beautiful com- 
pany of children were brought together, and I gave 
them the best instruction I could for the life that now 
is, and also for that which is to come. I then bade 
adieu to many highly-valued friends, and started down 
the river. Our progress was slow ; for the boat was 
taking in cotton, — forty bales at one plantation, sixty 
at another, — and thus we were some two or three days 
moving slowly towards New Orleans. Many of the 
passengers were from the region where I had been 
laboring, and with some of them I had formed a pleas- 
ant acquaintance. At their request, I had preached a 
few sermons in the cabin of the steamboat as we jour- 
neyed. When we had made considerable progress 
down the river, a great, brawny, broad-shouldered, six- 
feet-two or three inches high backwoodsman appeared 
among the passengers. I was not aware at what point 
he had come on board. He looked as if he might 
have been brought up in the neighborhood of iron- 



THE RED RIVER BUZZARD. 231 

works. The lineaments of a strong mind were dis- 
tinctly marked in his visage, and his whole bearing 
was that of a shrewd, forward, self-confident man. It 
is extremely rare, in the western country, that you 
find a man who designedly treats a minister of the 
gospel with disrespect. I have travelled long, and 
travelled far, yet have scarcely failed, in twenty years, 
when on a journey, to receive courtesy and gentle- 
manly treatment in every company, and from every 
individual with whom I had any particular intercourse. 
But here was a notable exception. The rough, stout 
man, above mentioned, had found out that I was a 
minister of the gospel ; in fact, I had preached once, 
perhaps oftener, on the boat after he had come on 
board. He now concluded he would show his smart- 
ness, by holding up to reproach and ridicule religion 
and religious men. From his manner, I had little 
doubt that he had often before attempted the same 
thing, and, perhaps, with a considerable degree of 
success and imaginary triumph. 

He now, with an air of great complacency and self- 
importance, commenced telling a story of a certain 
minister of his acquaintance. It was an awful story ; 
and he told it remarkably'well. He had, in fact, a 
quantity of that ready, rough wit, which enabled him 
to set the laughable points of a ludicrous story in a 
very clear and strong light. When he was through his 
statement, the company looked somewhat blank. Most 
of them felt that there was a high degree of impro- 
priety in his telling such a story before the minister 
who had preached to them only a few hours before ; 
otherwise they might have been prompted to a hearty 
laugh. As it was, however, some of them twisted 
their mouths a little, and all remained silent. 



232 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

But the fellow who had told the tale was no way- 
abashed at its cold reception. Determined to have 
some amusement, he turned round to me, and, in a 
manner most impertinent and haughty, said, " Well, 
sir, what do you think of that ? " I replied with much 
indifference, " I am a stranger in the country, and not 
acquainted with the circumstances." I should have 
taken particular notice of neither him nor his story, 
had he told it and just let it pass. But the fellow ap- 
peared by no means satisfied, and, after a momentary 
pause, he set in and told, either of the same preacher 
or some other, a second story, which was rather an 
improvement on the first. A genuine story it was, 
and astonishingly well told ; for in this department he 
possessed a talent equalled by few. He now turned 
to me a second time, and said, " Well, sir, what do you 
think of that ? " Again I replied, " I am a stranger 
in the country, and not acquainted with the circum- 
stances." By this time, it was perfectly plain to me 
and to the other passengers, that he was disposed to 
show his smartness at my expense. So I resolved to 
" give him rope ; " and, perhaps, by the time he had 
run his full career, he might find that he had " waked 
up the wrong passenger."* 

He now told a third story, rising still in interest, 
like the steps in a flight of stairs. The story was 
certainly an original one, and the style in which it 
was told " hard to beat." There was a young Texas 
officer in the company. He was a native of Kentucky, 
had been brought up in the neighborhood of Mount 
Stirling, educated at the military institution at West 
Point, and had now been a number of years in Texas, 
during her revolution. This young officer now became 



THE RED RIVER BUZZARD. 233 

quite restless. He afterwards told me that he was so 
indignant, that he was on the verge of breaking out 
on the fellow in real Kentucky style, and telling him 
that he was insolent, ill-mannered, and did not know 
how to behave himself genteelly in company ; though, 
he said, as the thing turned out, he was very glad that 
he had restrained his temper, and held his peace. 

Our orator now proceeded, and told a fourth story, 
and then a fifth, which lost nothing in comparison 
with those which had gone before, and fully sustained 
his claims as a retailer of calumny, and an " accuser 
of the brethren." When he had finished his fifth 
story, I saw, by the appearance of the whole company, 
that they were fully prepared to see the impertinent 
fellow severely chastised. I turned to Major Jenkins, 
a very respectable farmer, who lived near Shreveport, 
and was well known to many of the company, and, in 
a tone of voice sufficiently loud to be distinctly heard 
by all in the cabin, called out, " Major Jenkins ! " 
Every eye was now turned, and every ear was atten- 
tive. " You were at Shreveport on the day that I made 
the address to the congregation of children ? " 

" I was there," replied the major. 

" You remember, then, the account which I gave 
the children of the patriarch Abraham — how that, 
when the Lord told Abraham that he was about to 
destroy Sodom, l because the cry of Sodom was great, 
and because their sin was very grievous,' Abraham 
stood up before the Lord, and interceded for Sodom, 
and said that he calculated there were < fifty ' good men 
there ; and if there were not altogether fifty, he thought 
there surely must be ' forty-five,' or, at any rate, 'forty.' 
I called upon the children to notice particularly what a 
20* 



234 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

delightful view is here given of the character of Abra- 
ham ; what an exalted man he must have been ; how 
noble and elevated in principle ; how high-minded 
and lofty the frame of that spirit by which he was 
animated. Abraham knew that the great mass of 
these l men of Sodom were wicked, and sinners before 
the Lord exceedingly.' He must have known this ; 
for he lived near them, and must necessarily have had 
transactions with them, more or less, for a number of 
years. He could not but have known that the multi- 
tude there was very depraved, and far gone in wicked- 
ness. But Abraham was one of those men of superior 
mould, who 'rejoice not in iniquity.' He neither 
sought nor wished to know all that was improper, and 
all that was censurable, in the conduct of those around 
him. He would throw the broad, generous mantle of 
his charity over the imperfections and faults of others, 
and hope for the best. He would hope that there was 
an under-current in society, better than what appeared 
on the surface ; that there were many others, who, as 
deeply as himself, regretted the degeneracy of the 
times ; and he drew near before the Lord, in behalf of 
Sodom, and said, ' Peradventure there be fifty right- 
eous found there, within the city, wilt thou not spare 
all the place for the sake of the fifty righteous that are 
therein ? ' 

" Venerable patriarch ! through the long vista of four 
thousand years, we love to look back and dwell upon 
thy character. It is an instructive and beautiful exam- 
ple in the annals of a dark and fallen world ; and a 
benevolent God has spread the record on the pages of 
his sacred book, and has determined that it shall stand 
there till the end of time, for the edification, the wonder 



THE RED RIVER BUZZARD. 235 

and the imitation of the sons of men. It reminds 
us of that sweet paragraph in the history of Israel, 
where, after toiling over the burning sands, exposed to 
the hot winds of the desert, and the scorching rays of 
a torrid sun, parched with thirst, weary and exhausted, 
they at length came to ' Elim, where there were twelve 
wells of water, and threescore and ten palm-trees ; and 
they encamped there by the waters.' (Ex. xv. 27.) 

" It must be confessed, however, that in our world 
there are characters widely different from that of Abra- 
ham; persons who rejoice in iniquity, ' every imagina- 
tion of the thoughts of whose heart is only evil contin- 
ally ; ' persons whose supreme delight is to rake and 
root among the sewers and filth of a city like Sodom. 
Had the doom of this city been announced to one of 
these, he would have exclaimed eagerly, ' Ha ! burn up 
Sodom with a tempest of fire and brimstone ! I'm glad 
of it. They richly deserve it. That's just what I've 
been looking for. I've been watching these people of 
Sodom. I know them well. There isn't an honest 
man, there isn't a virtuous woman, in all the city. 
The merchants are all roguish, the mechanics are all 
cheats, the professional men are all false and aban- 
doned. I'm glad to hear that they are about to get 
their deserts at last.' Such would have been the 
sentiments and exclamations of a low, depraved, dirty 
spirit. Not so Abraham. He was far from pretending 
that all excellence in the whole country was summed 
up in his individual person. He would hope that even 
in Sodom there were fifty righteous ; and if not fifty, 
why, certainly forty-five, or, at any rate, forty. 

" I mentioned to the children what an excellent 
member of the community Abraham must have been 



236 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

— what a pleasant and valuable neighbor; and told 
them how I should love to live beside such a man, 
exchange visits with him, and have his intimacy and 
his friendship. And I illustrated the whole subject to 
the children in this way : — 

" ' You may send a dove over a beautiful landscape, 
where there are rich waving meadows, and extended 
fields of ripening grain ; lovely flowers unfolding on 
the margin of the bright, lively stream, that is rippling, 
bubbling, and murmuring along ; flocks and herds 
feeding, thriving, and growing ; lambs frisking, skip- 
ping, and playing ; and where there are all those things 
that are charming in a beautiful landscape. Now. the 
dove, its taste is so refined and delicate, will be delight- 
ed with the beauties that are here in these cultivated 
and fruitful fields. Every thing here is in perfect har- 
mony with its prevailing desires, and its capacities for the 
highest enjoyment ; and the genius of the dove revels 
and luxuriates amidst the congenial scenes by which 
it is surrounded. It will cast its eye over the broad 
meadow, undulating in the breeze, and experience de- 
lightful emotions. It will gaze on the rich grain field, 
and be extremely happy in the prospect of such abun- 
dance for the wants of man and beast. It will hover 
over the newly-opened flower, and admire each lovely 
tint that is there. It will rejoice with the flocks and 
herds that are feeding and thriving -on the plain, and 
sympathize with the sportive and joyous lambs that 
are leaping and gambolling in the gladness of their 
heart. 

" ' And when the dove returns to its home, if it could 
talk and tell of its travels, and of the interesting and 
memorable things which had fallen under its eye, it 



THE RED RIVER BUZZARD. 237 

would speak of the broad meadows, the bright flowers, 
the beautiful streams, and the fruitful fields it had found 
in its delightful excursion. It would describe the frisk- 
ing lambs, and the fine cattle, that almost equalled the 
first company that old Pharaoh saw in his dream, coming 
up from the river of Egypt, denoting the seven years 
of plenty that should come on all the land. These 
are the objects that are in perfect unison with the deli- 
cate and refined taste of the dove, and these are the 
favorite themes on which it will delight to expatiate. 

" < But now, children, suppose you send a buzzard 
over that same lovely landscape ■ none of the things 
which I have named will interest him in the slightest 
degree. The buzzard goes to search for carrion. He 
has no taste for the beauties of nature. Carrion alone 
suits his appetite ; and as soon as he starts, he begins 
to snuff and scent for tainted air. The beautiful 
meadows, waving in the breeze, have no charms for 
him. The rich grain field, where the golden harvest 
is ripening, he regards not. The fine flowers, bending 
over the bright, meandering stream, he sees not. The 
flocks and herds, and playful lambs, rejoicing in their 
green pastures, give him no delight. But if there be 
a dead pig, or a dead 'possum, or the putrid carcass of 
a rat, in all the wide range over which he has passed, 
the buzzard has found that out. That corresponds 
with his taste, and the developments of his genius 
are all in that line. And he will light down where he 
can find carrion, and spread his wings, and strut and 
parade round, and rejoice more over the half-rotten 
carcass of a dead calf, than over ninety and nine living 
cattle, feeding and thriving in a meadow.' " 

At this point, the company in the cabin of the steam- 



238 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

boat broke out in unrestrained and boisterous expres- 
sions of approbation. They clapped, they stamped, 
they cheered, and gave the most decided demonstra- 
tions of entertainment and delight. The young Texas 
officer shouted aloud, " It is the best thing I have heard 
in all my life ! " And when through with one volley 
of clapping and cheering, he and the company would 
set off again on a fresh score, and seemed wholly un- 
willing to cease their boisterous expressions of appro- 
bation and mirth. 

It has often been said, that he who excels at giving 
a joke, or jest on another, is not apt to excel in bearing 
one that is pointed against himself. The reason is 
plain. That very shrewdness, which enables him to 
say severe and biting things against another, enables 
him to see the point or edge of any severe remark that 
is aimed at him. A dull man can bear a jest like a 
philosopher. He does not see the point of the wit, 
and, of course, does not feel it. It is whipping a sheep 
on its wool. But not so with the wit himself. He 
sees all the point of a severe remark aimed at himself, 
and feels it, too. This was clearly exemplified in the 
rough, rude man who had brought on this discussion. 
Not a man in all the company saw the whole applica- 
tion of the above remarks more clearly than did he 
himself. He had been altogether engrossed with the 
story of Abraham, and of the dove. Eyes, ears, and 
mouth were attentive. He seemed to suspect nothing. 
He neither saw nor " smelt danger," till the buzzard 
was on him, flapping its wings about his head and ears. 
He sprang to his feet, stretched himself, and gaped, — 
one of the most awkward gapes I have ever seen, — 
and looked as if he was in an agony of effort to think 



THE RED RIVER BUZZARD. 239 

of something to say, that might relieve him. Gladly 
would he have kindled up into fierce anger, in self- 
defence ; but, then, not a word had been said to him. 
My remarks were all directed to Major Jenkins, and 
contained merely a rehearsal of what had been ad- 
dressed to the children at Shreveport. The crest-fallen 
calumniator walked out from the cabin to the boiler- 
deck, " heavy and displeased," though totally at loss 
in what direction, or on whom, to vent his bile. He 
was followed by a number of young men, still laugh- 
ing in full volley, and exclaiming, " O that buzzard ! 
O that buzzard ! " At the first wood-yard that pre- 
sented itself, our hero left the company, and went 
ashore ; and if he be capable of profiting by the les- 
sons of that excellent teacher, Experience, he will most 
likely, hereafter, when he enters the cabin of a steam- 
boat, " count the cost," before he attempts to play off 
his rude jests on any of the passengers. 



240 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 



SUDDEN CONVERSIONS. 



In the autumn of 1840, I concluded to visit the min- 
eral region in Wisconsin. I had understood that a tide 
of population was pouring into that country; and I 
resolved to spend a few months in laboring there. Per- 
adventure some Christian might be comforted, whose 
lot had been cast in a destitute neighborhood ; perad- 
venture some sinner might be converted to God, over 
whom the angels of heaven would rejoice ; peradven- 
ture some little church might be planted, on which the 
early and the latter rain might descend, until it would 
grow, and become strong, and eventually prove a bless- 
ing to hundreds — perhaps, even, to thousands — of 
immortal souls. There is something very delightful, to 
my mind, in establishing a new church in the heart of 
a great, rising country. When you plant the acorn in 
the rich western soil, you cannot tell how deep that 
plant may strike its roots into the earth. You cannot 
tell how high its stem will shoot up towards heaven. 
You cannot tell how wide its branches will spread, 
how great will be the abundance of its fruit, or how 
many living creatures, in ages to come, will feed upon 
its fruit, and find shelter under its shadow. I had no 
connection with the Home Missionary Society. I went 
under the authority of that primitive commission, " Go 
ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every 



SUDDEN CONVERSIONS. 241 

creature. He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be 
saved." (Mark xvi. 15, 16.) I had then no expecta- 
tion of publishing an account of these labors. They 
were known to God, and to the community where they 
were bestowed. I desired for them no further noto- 
riety. Nor should even a sketch of them be published 
now, but that I see, that, by doing so, I can illustrate 
great principles, and place important truths before the 
church, and before the world. 

I took passage in a steamboat, commanded by Cap- 
tain Miller, and ascended the Mississippi, to a point 
some ten or twelve miles above the town of Dubuque, 
in Iowa. I there went* ashore, on the Wisconsin side 
of the river. There was no village, no farm, no im- 
provement of any kind at the landing. A dim path 
put off from the river, across the wide Mississippi bot- 
tom. I took that path, and followed it through the tall 
cotton-wood timber, some six or eight miles. There I 
found a small village, stretched along a narrow ravine, 
that came down through the bluffs of the highlands. 
The name of the location was " Snake Hollow ; " and 
the village was called by that name far and near. I 
learned that a miner, at an early day, while searching 
for mineral, had dug into a den of rattlesnakes ; and 
that circumstance had given a name to the place, and 
afterwards to the village. I took up my residence, 
pro tempore, with a Jew, who was there selling goods, 
a very gentlemanly and hospitable man, who kindly 
invited me to make his house my home. And I com- 
menced preaching to these people. We were greatly 
incommoded by the want of a suitable house. The 
small room in which our meetings were held, would 
not contain one half the people who were desirous 
21 



242 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

to attend ; and, after spending a few days in this 
place, I went to Plattville, a village about twelve miles 
distant, where the opportunity of a house for preach- 
ing was better. But scarcely had I reached Plattville, 
when Mr. Gay, a prominent man in the other neighbor- 
hood, came after me in behalf of the people of Snake 
Hollow. " You must return," said he, — " you must 
return with me. I believe that God has begun a good 
work among our people." I determined, at once, to 
go with this man ; and soon after we had returned, a 
Kentuckian, who resided there, came to me, and said, 
" You need a larger house for your meetings." 

"We do, sir, very much," was my reply. 

" Well," said he, "I have a house, that was fitted 
up for some play-actors, that were here not long ago. 
If you will go with me, and look at it, it shall be at 
your service, provided you think it suitable." 

I went with him, and lo, a room, about forty-two 
feet in length, by some thirty feet in breadth, well 
prepared to accommodate an audience ! Some part 
of the fabric erected by the play-actors was still stand- 
ing j but we soon had that removed, and commenced 
our meetings ; and the Spirit of the Lord was in the 
midst of us, of a truth. In this place I preached three 
times a day, for about five weeks. Persons came in 
from all the country round, and many consecrated 
themselves to the Lord. A church was organized, and 
members added to it to the number of forty-four. 
Soon after our series of efforts commenced, I appointed 
an inquiry meeting, to be held early in the morning. 
The first person who appeared at the place for that 
meeting, was a young merchant. I must sketch a 
little of his history, because it illustrates the subject 
of " sudden conversions." 



SUDDEN CONVERSIONS. 243 

He came into the inquiry room, 'and told* me, very 
frankly, that he had been living in sin, and that un- 
merited grace alone had held him up from a deserved 
hell. Said I, " Are you now willing to turn from sin, 
and consecrate your heart and life to the service of 
God ? Are you now willing to trust in Christ for 
pardon and eternal life, and spend your days in keeping 
his commandments ? " 

" That is my determination," said he. " Relying 
on the grace of God for assistance, I wish to confess 
Christ before the world, and to unite myself with his 
church, that I may honor and obey him in all his 
ordinances." 

" How long have you resided in Wisconsin ? " 

" I have been here about eighteen months." 

" From what place did you emigrate, when you came 
here ? " 

" I had been, for very nearly two years, with the 
American Fur Company, among the Rocky Mountains." 

" And where were you before you joined the Ameri- 
can Fur Company ? " 

u I had spent four years in Texas, during the period 
of her revolution." 

" But where were you brought up ? " 

" I was brought up at Brownsville, in Pennsylvania, 
on the National Road." 

" Were your parents pious people ? " 

" O, sir, I had at Brownsville a Christian mother, 
who taught me the Savior's name when I was very 
young. She prayed with me, and for me, and taught 
me to fold my little hands, and say, ' Our Father, who 
art in heaven ! ' And as long as I remained with her, 
she endeavored, by her counsel, her example, and her 



244 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

prayers, to win me over to the service of God. And 
O, sir," exclaimed this young man, weeping profusely 
— " O, sir, the prayers, the example, the counsel, the 
warm solicitude of that pious mother have followed 
me all the while I was roving through Texas — have 
followed me all the while I was wandering up and 
down among the Rocky Mountains — yes, and they 
have followed me here to Wisconsin. I can resist no 
longer. I must obey the call of the Holy Spirit, and 
give my life to God." 

This is a sample — a fair sample — of what the 
world, and, alas f a portion of the church, denomi- 
nate " sudden conversions." A cold-hearted professor, 
dozing and dreaming over his privileges and his oppor- 
tunities, sees his neighbor living in sin, but has not got 
religion enough to speak one warning word to the sin- 
ner of his guilt and his danger. And he takes it for 
granted, the Spirit of God, and the man's conscience, 
are as silent, concerning the things of eternity, as his 
own unfaithful tongue ; whereas the light of the gos- 
pel, the presence of the Holy Spirit, and voice of con- 
science are causing a mighty struggle in the bosom of 
that man. This struggle continues for months — per- 
haps for years. At last, the troubled sinner resolves, 
" I'll resist no longer. I'll yield to the Spirit of God. 

' Here, Lord, I give myself away — 
Tis all that I can do.' " 

And the torpid professor near him hears this vow, 
and starts up, rubbing his eyes, and exclaiming, " How 
sudden! How very sudden! " when the only sudden 
thing in the whole affair, is the sudden impression in 
his own sleepy soul. 



SUDDEN CONVERSIONS. 245 

I said the case of the young man detailed above is a 
fair sample of what the world calls " sudden conver- 
sions." I repeat the assertion, from a deep conviction 
of its truth, and the importance of having the subject 
properly understood. 

I would here, also, record another instance of " sud- 
den conversion," which took place during the same 
series of meetings ; and I desire to mention it with 
gratitude and praise to the name of the blessed God. 
After the Divine Spirit was poured out on the popula- 
tion of this village and the neighborhood, a general 
reformation in morals was diffused in all directions 
among the citizens ; and, finally, the " sign-board " 
was taken down from above the door of the last grog- 
shop in the place. 

There lived in that community a man quite advanced 
in life, who had been intemperate for many years. This 
man came to hear the preaching of the gospel. He 
appeared deeply affected with divine truth ; and pres- 
ently he opened his house for the weekly prayer meet- 
ing, which was now established. He was soon enabled 
to trust in Christ for salvation. In a little time, accord- 
ing to the example of the apostolic age, he offered 
himself to the church ; and the evidences of his con- 
version to God were such, that he was accepted. 
From time to time, after I left the neighborhood, I had 
opportunity to learn that the old man was walking 
worthy of the high and holy gospel vocation, and that 
his house was still opened for the weekly prayer meet- 
ing. About six years afterwards, I was at Edwards- 
ville, in Illinois. I there became acquainted with a 
respectable lawyer, who, at that time, was a senator in 
the legislature of that state. " I am happy to meet 
21* 



246 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

with you," said he. "I have long wished for an 
opportunity to make your acquaintance. 1 wish to 
express my gratitude for the great benefit which my 
father received during your ministerial labors at ' Snake 
Hollow.' " And lo ! the senator before me was the son 
of the old gentleman whose house was opened for the 
weekly prayer meeting, and of whose conversion the 
reader is already informed. 

Many years ago, there lived at Knoxville, Tennessee, 
a prominent and amiable man, who was by profession 
a lawyer. His treatment of religious men was respect- 
ful and kind. At the house of worship he was a regu- 
lar attendant ; but he had taken for himself no decided 
stand in relation to the service of God. His wife, at 
length, came forward, and united herself to the church. 
After the solemnities of the sacramental season at 
which she was received, a brother in the ministry 
walked home with the family to their house. When 
they were near the door, the lawyer turned to the 
minister, and said, " I know that religion is very im- 
portant. It is every man's duty to serve God. But it 
is a very solemn matter ; and surely we ought not to 
be hasty." 

" How old are you ? " asked the minister. 

" I am forty-one," was the reply. And the tear 
started in his eye as he spoke. 

" Then you have not been hasty. Surely, if you 
have persisted in sinning against God through forty- 
one years, you have not been hasty in renouncing 
your rebellion. If you have jeopardized your soul for 
forty-one years, you have not been hasty in caring for 
its welfare. If you have been rushing towards the 
gate of death for forty-one years, you have not been 
hasty in flying from the wrath to come." 



SUDDEN CONVERSIONS. 247 

I now close this article with two remarks : — 

1. We are liable to much mistake, when we suppose 
that the subject of religion is new to those to whom 
we have said but little. God has many methods for 
diffusing abroad the knowledge of his will, independ- 
ent of our agency. The voice of his word, the voice 
of his Spirit, and the voice of conscience have been 
heard far and wide. " I say, Have they not heard ? 
Yes, verily, their sound went into all the earth, and 
their words to the end of the world." (Rom. x. 18.) 
I have rarely, in a ministry of thirty-four years, at- 
tempted to talk with an inquirer, but I found that the 
Spirit of God, and a faithful conscience, had been 
speaking to that soul long before it was addressed by 
me. God is doing a great and solemn work, while he 
is leading immortal souls to eternity. And O, how 
small a portion of his ways do we comprehend ! Let 
us, therefore, put a restraint upon our tongues, when 
tempted to speak lightly of "sudden conversions." 

2. Most, if not all, of the conversions recorded in 
the Bible are of the description which the world would 
now pronounce " sudden." See the case of Abraham. 
'•' Now, the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out 
of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy 
father's house, unto a land that I will show thee : and 
I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless 
thee, and make thy name great ; and thou shalt be a 
blessing : and I will bless them that bless thee, and 
curse him that curseth thee : and in thee shall all fam- 
ilies of the earth be blessed. So Abram departed, as 
the Lord had spoken unto him." See the conversion 
of Naaman the Syrian. (2 Kings v. 15 — 19.) See 
the conversion of the men of Nineveh, under the 



248 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

preaching of Jonah. And yet Christ declares that 
their religion will stand the scrutiny of the judg- 
ment day. See the ■ conversion of James and John, 
Simon and Andrew. " And Jesus, walking by the 
sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, 
and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; 
for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow 
me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they 
straightway left their nets, and followed him. And 
going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, 
James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a 
ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets : 
and he called them. And they immediately left the 
ship and their father, and followed him." (Matt, 
iv. 18 — 22.) See also the thousands on the day of 
Pentecost. 

When I think of the rich and varied opportunities 
which God has granted to the present generation, I 
must believe that there are many important and perma- 
nent religious impressions among that part of the com- 
munity who have as yet given no public manifestation. 
How many Bibles have been thrown before the eye of 
the educated and intelligent neglecter of the great salva- 
tion ! How many religious tracts ! How much whole- 
some religious instruction has been imparted in Sabbath 
schools ! In these respects, the last twenty years have 
surpassed all the years that have ever gone before them. 
And, moreover, how great has been the amount of 
sound, instructive, and powerful preaching, which God 
has granted to the souls of men within the same period ! 
I speak not now of any one section of our country, 
exclusively. I speak of the whole, — east, west, 
north, and south. With how much enlightened, dis- 



SUDDEN CONVERSIONS. - 249 

criminating, and scriptural preaching has the present 
generation been blessed ! I fully believe that, in this 
respect, few among the ages that are passed have been 
raised so high in point of privileges. We may fairly 
infer, therefore, that much thoughtfulness and valuable 
impression have been produced, that have not yet ap- 
peared on the surface of society j and that when, " after 
so long a time," men come to the determination, that 
they must and will confess Christ in the church, we 
greatly err, if we suppose that religion is a new theme 
of thought to them, or that, in their pious resolves, there 
is any thing " sudden," in such a sense as implies a 
want of serious consideration, or the absence of a thor- 
ough acquaintance with the solemnity and sacredness 
of the Christian profession. 

Now, at the opening of the year 1850, I cast my 
eye over our highly-favored land. It is a mighty field, 
where the fallow ground has been broken up, the clods 
have been pulverized, and the good seed put in, and 
covered with earth. Why should we not expect an 
abundant harvest ? God has wonderfully taken hurtful 
influences out of the way. The thunders of war are 
hushed. The din of political strife has died away. 
The ravages of cholera are, at least for a time, arrested. 
We wait only for the showers of divine grace to make 
the plants in the garden of God spring up, and produce 
fruit in rich abundance, beyond all that " kings and 
prophets " ever saw. No such extensive preparations 
preceded the revivals under John Knox and his fellow- 
laborers, when, in a single generation, a nation was 
born to God. No such extensive preparation preceded 
the " great awakening " under Edwards and the Ten- 
nants. Why, then, should not the church, at this day, 



250 - THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

" expect great things," and " attempt great things " ? 
Why not hope for the return of sinners to the ark of 
safety in such multitudes, that the prophet, in vision 
beholding it at the distance of many centuries, was 
constrained to exclaim, " Who are these that fly as a 
cloud, and as doves to their windows ? " 



GROWTH IN KNOWLEDGE. 251 



GROWTH IN KNOWLEDGE 



The Holy Spirit hath said, " The path of the just is 
as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto 
the perfect day." Absolute perfection is not possessed 
by the newly-converted soul, and hence the command 
to " grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord 
Jesus Christ." There is a growth in knowledge, as 
well as in grace, enjoined on the believer. Inattention 
to this fact has often occasioned erroneous sentiments 
among pious people. This life is but our birthday. 
Saints will grow in acquaintance with God and things 
divine through all eternity. And yet how prone are 
we, in the very commencement of our religious course, 
to fancy ourselves fully qualified to pronounce without 
hesitation on the most high and solemn questions that 
relate to the things of God ! Many a Christian has 
been kept in darkness for years, by reason of some 
hasty decision concerning the doctrine of the gospel, 
rashly made in the very infancy of his Christianity. 
O that all Christians, and especially the young, would 
treasure up in their minds that precious counsel of the 
Holy Spirit, " Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, 
and lean not to thine own understanding " ! God has 
given us a " sure word of prophecy " for our direction, 
to which we do well to " take heed, as unto a light 
that shineth in a dark place." But O, what mournful 



252 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

inroads has error made in the church, when the pro- 
fessed friends of the, Redeemer have not followed the 
light of God's word, but have " leaned to their own 
understanding " ! 

In a clear night, when the multitude of stars that 
are scattered over the heavens, apparently without any 
regularity or order, are visible to the naked eye, should 
you tell the man who is utterly unacquainted with the 
science of astronomy, that these luminous specks are 
worlds, many of them larger than the globe on which 
he stands, and that they are all moving with admirable 
harmony, according to the plan of their Author, he 
would think your statement altogether incredible j for 
he sees nothing like order or harmony in all that strikes 
his eye. In like manner, the man who leans to his 
own understanding, and is not sufficiently attentive to 
the voice of God, when he looks around him on the 
multitude of events which daily occur, and sees in 
them much that to his eye is confusion and disorder, 
he feels confident that those who maintain that God is 
" working all things after the counsel of his own will," 
are grossly mistaken. He fancies that he sees con- 
clusive proof that Satan and wicked men are driving 
the world before them, and that the counsel of God 
does not prevail. Your assertion of the regular move- 
ments and harmonious revolutions of the heavenly 
bodies, is confidently denied by the ignorant man. 
He tells you it cannot be true ; for it contradicts the 
testimony of his senses. Why does he think so ? 
Because he concludes he has a full view of the whole 
creation ; whereas it is but a small portion that his eye 
is capable of taking in at once. And the man splits 
on the same rock, who, because the events which take 



GROWTH IN KNOWLEDGE. 253 

place around him are different from what he thinks are 
wisest and best, therefore affirms absolutely that God 
cannot have appointed them so, and is not " working 
all things after the counsel of his own will." 

" One part, one little part, vre dimly scan, 

Through the dark medium of life's feverish dream, 
Yet dare arraign the whole eternal plan, 
If but that little part incongruous seem." 

We have a record of excellent men, in ages long 
past, who, for a time, were in darkness on this subject. 
When Joseph was forced away from his aged and affec- 
tionate father, and sold in Egypt for a slave, and there 
for many years confined in a dungeon, how dark, how 
full of perplexity, was the whole transaction ! Indeed, 
there is no evidence from the history that as yet it had 
ever entered Joseph's head, that this was God's plan 
for advancing the glory of his great name, and the 
interest of his Zion ; and that one day he would see 
the harmony, and beauty, and grandeur of that whole 
dispensation, now so mysterious and dark. Joseph 
appears to have looked only at the agency of man in 
the transaction — the agency of his brethren who sold 
him, the merchants who brought him to Egypt, the 
Egyptians who imprisoned him. Hear his language 
to the chief butler : " For I indeed was stolen away 
out of the land of the Hebrews ; and here also have I 
done nothing that they should put me into this dun- 
geon. Think on me when it shall be well with thee, 
and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make 
mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this 
house." (Gen. xl. 14, 15.) But Joseph lived to see 
the day when the plan of God was ripe for accom- 
22 



254 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK, 

plishment. Then his eye discerned a higher hand 
than that of his brethren, the Ishmaelites, and the 
Egyptians, in this whole matter. The wonderful ways 
of God thrilled his soul with admiration. He saw the 
church preserved, the kingdoms around kept alive, 
through a long and destructive famine, and the honor 
of the God of Israel exalted in the view of the nations. 
Then he saw that the whole transaction was planned 
and moved forward by the counsel of the Almighty. 
Hear his language to his brethren : " I am Joseph, your 
brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. Now, therefore, 
be not grieved nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold 
me hither ; for God did send me before you to preserve 
life. God sent me before you, to preserve you a pos- 
terity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great de- 
liverance. So, now, it was not you that sent me hither, 
but God ; and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, 
and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the 
land of Egypt. But as for you, ye thought evil against 
me ; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it 
is this day, to save much people alive." (Gen. xlv. 4, 
5, 7, 8, and 1. 20.) Take another instance. When 
" Jesus began to show unto his disciples how that he 
must go into Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the 
elders, and chief priests, and scribes, and be killed," 
Peter, " leaning to his own understanding," quite con- 
fident that such a dreadful event as the killing of the 
holy, harmless Jesus could form no part of the plan 
of a wise and holy God, "began to rebuke " his Master 
for holding and teaching such doctrine — "Beit far 
from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee." Jesus, 
with unusual severity, reproved him — " Get thee be- 
hind me, Satan : thou art an offence unto me ; for 



GROWTH IN KNOWLEDGE. 255 

thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those 
that be of men," plainly teaching that his " suffering 
many things, and being killed" of which Peter did not 
approve, was the plan of God. (Matt. xvi. 21 — 23.) 
But Peter lived to see the day when light from on high 
shone on this wonderful transaction. He saw that the 
death of his Master brought life to the world, and that 
heaven should be peopled, and the praises of the Lord 
celebrated through all eternity, by multitudes which 
no man can number, washed from their sins in that 
fountain opened on Calvary. And now he glories in 
"Jesus Christ, and him crucified." Now he sees that 
what astounded him at first, as altogether incredible, 
is the plan of that God " who is wonderful in coun- 
cil, and excellent in working." Hear him, on the 
day of Pentecost, addressing the crucifiers of his Mas- 
ter : " Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel 
and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and with 
wicked hands have crucified and slain." (Acts ii. 23.) 
And a few days after, to the same people he says, 
" And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye 
did it, as did also your rulers. But those things which 
God before had showed by the mouth of all his proph- 
ets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled." 
(Acts iii. 17, 18.) And, indeed, all the disciples, though 
at first, perhaps, as reluctant as Peter to believe it, were 
now so thoroughly imbued with this doctrine, that we 
find it not only in their sermons, but in their prayers. 
In Acts iv. 27, 28, we find them uniting, with one 
heart, in this address to God : " For of a truth against 
thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both 
Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and people 
of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever 



256 THE WESTERN' SKETCH-BOOK. 

thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be 
done." 

Now, it is not strange that, while the church is in a 
low condition, and the power of Satan is great among 
the nations, there should be many pious people, who, 
like Joseph in the dungeon, and like Peter in the in- 
fancy of his Christianity, are disposed to deny that 
many events which they witness belong to the wise 
and good plan of the great God. But as Joseph and 
Peter advanced in divine knowledge until they ob- 
tained more exalted views of the truth of God, so all 
true Christians shall grow in the knowledge of God 
until all their errors shall be cast away. The path of 
the just, like the shining light, shineth more and more 
until the perfect day. And thus, when the church 
attains the full maturity of her glory in the millennial 
day, all her children shall see eye to eye ; and in the 
heavenly state God shall wipe all tears from the eyes 
of his people ; for he will then show them that he has 
done all things well. 



SAINTS EXCEL ANGELS IN GLORY. 257 



SAINTS TO EXCEL ANGELS IN GLORY, 



The prospects which the gospel presents to Adam's 
children are wonderful. God has created a great 
variety of intellectual beings. We read of angels, 
cherubim, seraphim, principalities, powers, thrones, 
dominions, &c, &c, all which terms, doubtless, denote 
other orders of intelligent beings, who have been 
formed by the hand of the Almighty. But among all 
creatures in God's wide empire, Man, alone, finds his 
nature united to the Divinity. 

In the person of Jesus Christ, humanity is joined to 
the uncreated Godhead. The second person of the 
Holy Trinity put on our nature when he came to 
earth. In our nature he lived. In our nature he 
received the stroke of death. In our nature he arose 
from the grave and ascended to heaven. In our 
nature he now reigns above. And through the long 
periods of immortality, he will be clothed in tfye 
mantle of humanity. This single fact promises, to 
the redeemed from among men, an elevation in the 
kingdom of their Father, to which, while on earth, 
our boldest conceptions cannot rise. 

It is clearly held out in the word of God, that those 

who are ransomed by the blood of the Lamb will, in 

the progress of eternal ages, ascend beyond all the 

angel hosts in holiness, in happiness, and in nearness to 

22* 



258 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

the throne of God. The angels are " all ministering 
spirits sent forth " at his command. They are his 
servants. They were created to serve his church ; 
and, however holy, happy, and glorious, they can ap- 
proach God in no other character than as servants. 
But of the redeemed, it is declared, that the Lord of 
glory "is not ashamed to call them brethren." They 
have a peculiar relationship to Christ that angels have 
not. They are his kindred; and he is their elder 
Brother. None of all the heavenly family are thus 
united to the Divine Being except the followers of the 
Lamb ; and this single fact — I repeat it — promises to 
the saints an exceedingly exalted station among the 
children of their Father. 

The same thing appears from the intercessory prayer 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, where he speaks of the pecu- 
liar and wonderfully intimate connection between him 
and his children. His prayer is, " that they all may 
be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that 
they also may be one in us. And the glory which 
thou hast given me have I given them; that they 
may be one, even as we are one ; I in them, and thou 
in me." Wonderful petition ! Blessed Savior, how 
high is the hope which thou hast set before thy peo- 
ple ! The apostle James tells us that God designs the 
saints as a "kind of first-fruits of his creatures." In 
Rev. ii. 17, God promises to bestow on those who 
overcome through the blood of the Lamb, a glory 
beyond the knowledge of all created beings save those 
who receive it. And, in Rev. xiv. 3, we are told that, 
among the anthems of eternity, the song of Redemp- 
tion is peculiar and transcendent ; and that, among all 
the bright spirits above, none can learn that song but 
the thousands who are redeemed from the earth. 



SAINTS EXCEL ANGELS IN GLORY. 259 

This truth is also implied in what we are taught 
respecting the manner in which the perfections of the 
invisible God are revealed to his creatures. Christ 
says, " No man hath seen God at any time ; the only- 
begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, 
he hath declared him." "No man knoweth the 
Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son will 
reveal him." The apostle asserts that God created all 
things by Jesus Christ, to the intent that " now unto 
principalities and powers in heavenly places might be 
made known by the church the manifold wisdom of 
God." It is through the church, then, that the per- 
fections of God are chiefly revealed to other orders of 
beings. Accordingly, the redeemed family of Jesus 
Christ is set forth in Scripture as the admiration of 
all heaven. In the beautiful language of the poet, — 

" Nearest the throne, and first in song, 
Man shall his hallelujahs raise ; 
While wondering angels round him throng, 
And swell the triumph of his praise." 

" And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, 
What are these which are arrayed in white robes ? and 
whence came they ? And I said unto him, Sir, thou 
knowest. And he said to me, These are they which 
came out of great tribulation, and have washed their 
robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 
Therefore are they before the throne of God, and 
serve him day and night in his temple ; and he that 
sitteth on the throne shall- dwell among them. They 
shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more ; neither 
shall the sun light on them, nor any heat." (Rev. vii. 
13 — 17.) There is a charming imagery used by the 



260 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

sacred writers to set forth the glory of the various 
orders of holy beings in the dominions of the great 
God. They are mentioned as brilliant luminaries, 
reflecting the light that issues from the uncreated 
throne. The Lord declares to Job that, when he 
laid the foundations of the earth, " the morning stars 
sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for 
joy." The morning stars were doubtless holy and 
happy spirits that his hand had formed. Paul says, 
" There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of 
the moon, and another glory of the stars; and one 
star difTereth from another in glory." Daniel, in 
view of the events of the resurrection day, declares, 
" They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of 
the firmament, and they that turn many to righteous- 
ness, as stars forever and ever." Of the same day the 
Savior says, " Then shall the righteous shine forth as 
the sun in the kingdom of their Father." 

What a delightful idea does this imagery present to 
the mind, of the glory of Jehovah's upper kingdom ! On 
the great white throne is seated the everlasting I AM. 
Before him are the several orders of angelic beings, 
as stars of various magnitudes in the firmament of 
heaven, ever growing in capacity, increasing in bril- 
liancy, from glory to glory, and rising to higher and 
higher stations before the great Eternal. But the Son 
of God has been sent on an errand of mercy to a 
revolted world; and behold, in virtue of his mediation, 
" a great wonder is seen in heaven." On the verge of 
the celestial horizon new lights are discovered ; stars 
of uncommon brilliancy begin to appear ; constellation 
after constellation rises into view. Who are these? 
These are the companies of patriarchs, and prophets, 



SAINTS EXCEL ANGELS IN GLORY. 261 

and martyrs. These are the redeemed from the earth. 
They increase more rapidly in brightness and glory. 
They move in swifter courses up the heavenly firma- 
ment. They pass by the shining ranks of angels, 
cherubim and seraphim, and draw nearer to the divine 
throne. Hark ! what music rolls from the triumphant 
multitude over all the heavenly plains ! " Unto him 
that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his 
own blood, be honor and glory forever and ever ! " 
Blessed Jesus ! are these the travail of thy soul ? O, 
give us a place among thy saints when thou shalt 
make up thy jewels ! 



262 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 



THE DOCTRINES PREFERRED IN 
HEAVEN. 



" And the seventh angel sounded ; and there were great voices in 
heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the king- 
doms of our Lord and of his Christ ; and he shall reign forever 
and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God 
on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, 
We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, 
and art to come ; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and 
hast reigned. (Rev. xi. 15 —17.) 

This life is but the birthday of the children of God. 
Their attainments, while on earth, in knowledge, in 
grace, and in every excellency, are small in comparison 
with what they shall be in that world to which they 
go. Our Savior, when on earth, said to one of his 
disciples, " What I do thou knowest not now ; but 
thou shalt know hereafter." Paul observes, "Now, I 
see through a glass darkly." " We know in part" 
And he refers to a period " when that which is perfect 
shall come, and that which is in part shall be done 
away." The variety of conflicting opinions on divine 
subjects that now exist among the friends of the Re- 
deemer, are chiefly owing to the small advances they 
have made in acquaintance with the word and won- 
derful ways of God. It is delightful to reflect that a 
day is coming, when all who love the Lord shall " see 
eye to eye," and "know even as they are known." 



DOCTRINES PREFERRED IN HEAVEN. 263 

When we see different denominations, each contain- 
ing many zealous and excellent Christians, divided in 
sentiment, and each earnestly laboring to maintain 
their peculiar doctrines, the following question fre- 
quently presses on the mind : " When these disciples 
leave this world of darkness, and the light of eternity 
shines around them, which class will find that they 
had been mistaken while on earth, and discover that 
the doctrines they had thought so objectionable are 
full of perfection, beauty, and glory ? With respect to 
those points on which, while in this world, pious Cal- 
vinists and pious Arminians differ so widely, without 
attempting to say who will be found in the right at 
last, it may not be improper to inquire which of the 
systems, on being found the true one, appears best cal- 
culated to fill the inhabitants of heaven with triumph 
and joy. It is plain, from the texts recorded at the 
head of this article, that when the Almighty has wound 
up all the affairs of our world, the glorified saints and 
holy angels, on reviewing all that has taken place 
under his reign, from the beginning to the end of time, 
will be exceedingly gratified. " We give thee thanks, 
O Lord God Almighty, who art, and wast, and art to 
come, because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, 
and hast reigned." Now, which of the above-named 
systems of doctrine, on being found true, appears to 
furnish the broadest ground for such high transport — 
such unbounded triumph ? And here let it be care- 
fully remarked, that the very same number of souls 
will then be found in heaven, whether Calvinism or 
Arminianism proves to be true. There will be no 
more of the human family in heaven, and no fewer 
in hell, if the Arminian scheme is then pronounced 



264 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

correct, than there will be if Calvinism should then be 
declared the true system. Both parties now acknowl- 
edge that as to those who have lived and died in ages 
past, a number have been saved, and a number have 
been lost. The exact number of both classes is now 
known to God. Our Arminian brethren will not con- 
tend that, if their doctrines are found true, any who 
have already died impenitent will enter into heaven ; 
and they will admit that, if our doctrines are then 
found true, all who in past ages have not died impeni- 
tent will be crowned with glory. And with respect to 
those who shall live in ages to come, the omniscient 
God knows now, with infinite certainty, who will 
reaclT heaven, and who will not. So that as to the 
number of souls who will reach heaven, and the num- 
ber that will perish, Arminianism, in the judgment of 
saints and angels, will have no advantage over the 
doctrines we maintain. 

Let us now inquire which of the systems appears cal- 
culated to impart the highest ecstasies to the heavenly 
hosts. Suppose Arminianism should prove to be true. 
What are the facts that will stand out to the view of 
saints and angels, when they look back, from the judg- 
ment day, over all the events that have taken place in 
our world, from the creation to the end of time ? If 
Arminianism be true, saints and angels will then see 
that when the great Creator formed man, he had no 
desire nor intention that the affairs of our world should 
take the course they have taken. They will see that 
it was his desire that the fall of man should not take 
place, but that Satan prevented that desire from being 
gratified. They will see that when the Supreme Being 
found that his first design of having all the human 



DOCTRINES PREFERRED IN HEAVEN. 265 

race holy and happy was defeated by Satan, and things 
had come to pass which he would gladly have avoided, 
he then, in order to mend matters as much as possible, 
set on foot the scheme of redemption. They will see 
that the scheme of redemption was accomplished at 
immense cost ; and although it answered a consider- 
able purpose, yet it did not, by any means, accomplish 
all that its Author desired. Satan made prodigious 
headway against it for thousands of years ; and 
although repulsed in many instances, and deprived of 
a number of his subjects, yet, on the whole, his suc- 
cess was great ; and the Almighty would have rejoiced 
if the gospel could have had much greater success, and 
Satan had lost many more of his subjects. They will 
see that the Most High had been baffled and frustrated 
in many of his benevolent designs, and had desired 
many things which were never accomplished. If Ar- 
minianism be true, these facts must meet the eyes of 
saints and angels at every period in eternity, when 
they look back over the history of our world ; and it 
is difficult to conceive that, with these mournful facts 
continually in view, their rejoicings will be altogether 
unmingled with regret. Must they not regret that the 
good designs of their Creator had not been more suc- 
cessful ? Must not clouds of sorrow bedim their eyes, 
when they see that the malignant enemy of their God 
succeeded in his malicious schemes to so great an ex- 
tent, and that he was only defeated in some instances ? 
O, how would their hearts leap for joy, could they only 
find that all the schemes and designs of the old serpent 
had been effectually frustrated and crushed, and had 
been so overruled, as to advance the honor and glory 
of the great God whom he opposed ! O, how would 
23 



266 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

the triumphant hallelujah roll from each heavenly 
tongue, could they only find that the high and holy 
One had never, in a single instance, been disappointed, 
and had, from the creation to the judgment day, 
" worked all things after the counsel of his own will," 
had caused the " wrath of man " and the wrath of 
devils to " praise him," and had " restrained the re- 
mainder of the wrath/' had completely gratified all his 
benevolent desires, and accomplished "all his pleasure ! " 
But alas ! these are raptures which, if the Arminian 
doctrines be correct, the inhabitants of heaven will 
never enjoy. According to that plan, it will be true, 
till the remotest periods in eternity, that the great Jeho- 
vah, after all the efforts he has made, has failed to 
accomplish many of his benevolent desires ; and that 
the inroads of Satan on his kingdom in the world 
were vastly more extensive and successful than he ever 
designed. 

But should the doctrines for which we contend, 
after all the high-handed and diversified opposition they 
have had to encounter in this revolted world, be found 
true at last, will they furnish any greater reason for 
the glorified armies above, to celebrate, in anthems of 
unmingled triumph, the victories of their King ? We 
think that in this respect the difference between the 
two systems is immense, and that the advantages pos- 
sessed by our doctrines over those of our Arminian 
brethren are high as heaven and lasting as eternity. 
If the Calvinistic doctrines are true, then the follow- 
ing facts will stand as long as immortality endures, 
conspicuous and bright in the view of saints and angels* 
They will see that the glorious plan of man's redemp- 
tion was no afterthought of the great I AM, when he 



DOCTRINES PREFERRED IN HEAVEN. 267 

found that his first plan was frustrated by his artful 
and implacable enemy. They will see " that, from the 
beginning," it was the determinate purpose of the un- 
changeable God to manifest, by this great work, his 
adorable perfections to an admiring universe. They 
will see that Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of men, who 
was manifest in these last times, " was verily fore- 
ordained before the foundation of the world," (1 Pet. 
i. 20;) that, in the purpose and plan of God, he was 
" the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world," 
(Rev. xiii. 8;) that his saints were " chosen in him 
before the foundation of the world," (Eph. i. 4 ;) 
and that, from that early date, their " names were 
written in the Lamb's book of life," (Rev. xiii. 8.) 
They will see that this amazing development of his 
wonderful perfections in the scheme of man's redemp- 
tion, is the grand object Jehovah had in view, when 
he undertook to build the universe. They will 
see that he " created all things by Jesus Christ ; 
to the intent that now unto principalities and powers, 
in heavenly places, might be made known, by the 
church, the manifold wisdom of God, according to 
the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus 
our Lord." (Eph. iii. 9 — 11.) They will see that by 
Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of men, " were all things 
created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, 
visible and invisible ; whether they be thrones, or 
dominions, or principalities, or powers ; all things were 
created by him and for him." (Col. i. 16.) He 
formed the angels in heaven "all ministering spirits, 
and sent them forth to minister for them who shall 
be heirs of salvation." (Heb. i. 14.) They will see 
that all the dark devices and malicious schemes of 



268 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK 



Satan have never, for a moment, ruffled the tranquil- 
lity, or disconcerted the plan, of the great God. In no 
instance has he been overmatched — in no design has 
he been disappointed — in no benevolent effort has he 
failed. " With omniscient eye he has ever beheld his 
unshaken counsels, and with almighty hand he has 
rolled on his undisturbed decrees." They will see 
that when the raging dragon cast out of his mouth 
" waters as a flood," to overwhelm the church, He who 
" dwelleth in the high and holy place " has looked 
down, with placid serenity, on the foam and dashing 
of the billows; and, whenever the interest of his Zion 
required it, he said, " Peace, be still," and " there was 
a great calm." They will see that he has always had 
Satan under his control, and that, as in the case of 
Job, where Satan could not touch his property, nor 
touch his person, but when God saw it wisest and 
best to suffer it to be done, so, in every age, he has 
had his "hook in Satan's nose, and his bridle in his 
lips," and has restrained and controlled him at pleas- 
ure. They will see that the Almighty could have 
" bound Satan, and cast him into the bottomless pit, 
and shut him up, and set a seal upon him," as easily 
before he first came to the garden of Eden, as at the 
commencement of the latter-day glory. (Rev. xx. 1 — 
3.) But he did not. He saw it wisest and best, on the 
whole, to suffer the fall of man to take place, having 
determined, by this means, to make the universe of 
created beings sensible of the instability and mutable 
nature of all creatures, and fasten on their minds a 
deep and everlasting conviction of their absolute de- 
pendence on the one immutable God ; designing also 
to send his beloved Son, and in his suffering and death 



DOCTRINES PREFERRED IN HEAVEN. 269 

to show forth the immeasurable wisdom and power, 
truth and justice, love and mercy, of the uncreated 
One. They will see that, from the first morning of 
creation, the Lord has sat on his holy throne, and has 
held, with almighty hand, the reins of universal domin- 
ion ; has "done according to his pleasure in the armies 
of heaven," and among the inhabitants of the earth ; 
none have been able to baffle his designs, or defeat his 
purposes. Those eyes that " neither slumber nor 
sleep " have constantly been " in every place." The 
hand of the Lord has been stretched out in all the 
earth ; and, while kingdoms and empires, and all the 
weighty concerns of the universe, have been upon his 
hands, he has carefully attended to the minutest 
matters. He has clothed the lilies, fed the young 
ravens, hearkened to the cry of the wido.w and the 
fatherless, attended to the wants of the little sparrow, 
and numbered the very hairs of the head of his chil- 
dren. They will see that, from first to last, he has 
moved every wheel, controlled every event, disposed 
of every being, and directed every atom, so as to pro- 
mote, in the highest degree, the glory of his great 
name, and the joy of his holy kingdom. And al- 
though it was Satan's malevolent aim, when he 
seduced the human family, to rob God of his glory, 
and fill his kingdom with ruin, yet He who is " won- 
derful in council, and excellent in working," has so 
managed all events, that in the end God is more glori- 
fied, and his kingdom more exalted, in holiness and 
happiness, than could have been if angels had never 
revolted, and man had never fallen ! Thus the " head 
of the old serpent is bruised," his aim totally defeated, 
23* 



270 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

his hopes all overthrown. " O the depth of the riches 
both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! " 

All the inhabitants of heaven will gaze, with inef- 
fable delight, on the wonderful counsels and perfect 
works of God. They see that he has " done all things 
well ; " that such is the infinite perfection of that plan 
which he formed before the foundation of the world, 
that if all were now to be done over again, not one 
jot, not one tittle, could be altered for the better. 
Their satisfaction is unbounded. They prostrate 
themselves before his throne. " We give thee thanks, 
O Lord God Almighty, who art, and wast, and art to 
come, because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, 
and hast reigned ! " 

Millions of ages roll around. The saints and angels, 
cherubim and seraphim, and all the happy family of 
the great God, make astonishing advances in holiness, 
in happiness, and in knowledge. Again they review 
the history of our world j and still, in all the manage- 
ment of God, from first to last, they behold boundless 
perfection, beauty, and glory. Still they gaze with 
increasing rapture on the wonderful work of redemp- 
tion, transcendently glorious amidst all the works of 
God — a tali column of light, streaming from the sum- 
mit of Calvary above creation, and throwing its radi- 
ance to the utmost boundaries of Jehovah's dominions. 
They look down ; and still they see the " roaring 
lion," that so long fought against the cause of God, 
utterly overthrown, bound in chains, and buried deep 
among the ruins of his kingdom. They look up j and 
they behold immortal victory still perching on the 
standard of Immanuel. Still they behold the banner 
of the Son of God waving in everlasting triumph over 



DOCTRINES PREFERRED IN HEAVEN. 271 

all the empire of the Almighty. Amen ! Hallelujah ! 
11 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise 
our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both 
small and great ; and I heard, as it were, the voice of 
a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, 
and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alle- 
luia ! for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth." (Rev. 
xix. 5, 6.) 



272 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 



THE MILLENNIUM, 



" They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain ; for 
the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters 
cover the sea." (Isaiah xi. 9.) 

The church of God in our world has, for many ages, 
passed through the deep waters, and through fiery trials. 
Satan has, for a long season, led the nations at his will. 
Barefaced impiety has stalked undaunted through the 
earth, and flung defiance at Heaven. To support and 
cheer the hearts of his children during this season of 
spiritual desolation and darkness, God was pleased, at 
an early day, to pledge his word to the church, that he 
would grant her a brighter day ; that a period should 
come when Satan should be bound, and the whole 
earth be filled with the knowledge of the Lord. 

This was clearly implied in that notable promise, 
" The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's 
head." The head is the seat of intelligence, and, as 
such, the seat of counsel. By " bruising the serpent's 
head," is evidently meant giving an entire defeat to 
the counsels of the old serpent. 

The promise to Abraham more fully announced 
God's design to make his church triumphant. " In 
thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed." 
Abraham believed God. Wonderful instance of the 
power of faith ! He stood in the midst of a revolted 



THE MILLENNIUM. 273 

world. He looked around ; he saw the nations, on 
every hand, casting off the fear of God, and sinking 
down into idolatry. He looked back on the past his- 
tory of the world ; he saw that in all former ages the 
impetuous current of depravity had swept the children 
of men away from God, and from heaven. He saw 
that the flame of piety, which was kindled, at first, 
among the children of Seth, had dwindled to a spark 
— the spark that glimmered in the house of Noah, 
while the whole earth was covered with darkness. 
The earth had now been peopled anew, from that one 
pious family. Abraham had lived till he was a hun- 
dred years old among them. The mournful fact was 
now notorious, that all the terror of God's wrath, dis- 
played in the destruction of the old world, was forgot- 
ten. He saw the children of pious Noah, in crowds 
and nations, turning away from the Creator of the 
heavens and the earth, and worshipping serpents, and 
four-footed beasts, and fowls, and fishes. He saw that 
such was their predilection for idolatry, that they would 
take their hammer and chisel, and make themselves 
gods of gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and then 
fall down, and worship them. They would take their 
axe, and their saw, and make gods of logs and stumps, 
and then prostrate themselves, and pay divine honors. 
Such were the circumstances, when the Lord comes to 
Abraham, and tells him, that, aged and childless as he 
now is, he shall be the father of many nations ; and 
that among his descendants a deliverer shall arise, who 
shall turn away ungodliness from the earth ; and all 
nations shall forsake their idolatry, and worship the 
living and true God. Such were the words of the 
Almighty ; and, dark as prospects were, Abraham 



274 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

" staggered not at the promise of God, but was strong 
in faith." 

Is any one ready to say, " The Lord is slack con- 
cerning his promise ; and the day that Abraham ex- 
pected will never come " ? I reply, the Lord has 
made good his word, when, to the view of man, it ap- 
peared altogether as unlikely as in the present case. 

On the last clear day that preceded the deluge, it 
appeared as unlikely to scoffers of that age, that the 
huge vessel which Noah had built should float fifteen 
cubits above the top of the tallest mountains, as it can 
appear to infidels now, that the knowledge of the Lord 
shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea. 
Such a thing had never been heard of since the day 
that God created man upon the earth ; and the finger 
of derision was pointed, and the lip of scorn was 
curled, while Noah, " warned of God, and moved with 
fear, prepared an ark, to the saving of himself and 
house." But on the same day that Noah entered into 
the ark, the fountains of 'the great deep were broken 
up, and the windows of heaven were opened, and the 
scream of a drowning world was unheeded by an in- 
sulted God ; and, at this day, the infidel who would 
deny the Bible is constrained, by the science of geolo- 
gy, to acknowledge that, for some cause, this earth has 
been overwhelmed with a universal deluge. 

That the kingdom of Jesus Christ shall yet triumph 
in every nation, is not more unlikely now, than the 
deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and their settlement 
in Canaan, were on that day when Moses turned aside 
to gaze on the burning bush. Egypt was at this time, 
perhaps, the most powerful monarchy on earth. Israel 
was trodden into the very mire of the streets. So 



THE MILLENNIUM. 275 

completely dispirited and heart-broken were they, that 
officers and men of note among them were beaten with- 
out resistance, and tamely submitted to the unreason- 
able demands of Pharaoh's taskmasters. The land of 
their fathers, the graves of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 
seem to have been forgotten. How unlikely that such 
a people would burst the chain that bound them, and 
march forth in all the majesty of freedom ! But grant- 
ing they were freed from the grasp of Egypt, how 
shall they obtain possession of Canaan ? That land is 
possessed by seven nations, " greater and mightier " 
than Israel, (Deut. vii. 1,) — nations that dwelt in 
cities that were walled, and strongly fortified — -'nations 
terrible in battle, and trained in all the arts of war, of 
which the sojourners in Egypt were utterly ignorant. 
Could any thing have been proposed, that, in the view 
of short-sighted man, would have appeared more egre- 
giously fanciful and extravagant, than an attempt by 
this people to shake off the fetters of this gigantic 
monarchy, and conquer and take possession of the land 
of seven warlike and powerful nations ? Pharaoh and 
his courtiers laughed at it, and pronounced the whole 
scheme a mere whim of idleness and folly. But the 
hand of God is made bare. Egypt is shaken with 
judgment after judgment. Pharaoh and his lords rebel 
and blaspheme. But the hand of God is heavier and 
heavier upon them. It was midnight. The laborers 
had sunk in deep repose. But "He that keepeth Israel 
neither slumbers nor sleeps." At his bidding, the angel 
of death goes abroad. Every family is visited. The 
king, and all his servants, spring from their couches in 
the night. " There is a great cry in Egypt." In every 
house, the first-born is dead. Moses and Aaron are 



276 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

called. " Rise up ; get you forth from among my 
people.' 1 The Egyptians were urgent that they might 
send them out in haste ; for they said, " We be all 
dead men." Israel is thrust out of Egypt in the night. 
But how shall they know, amidst the darkness, the way 
they must go ? A sudden gleam of new-created light 
flashes around them ; and, behold ! flaming high in 
mid air, is a pillar of fire, to direct their steps. They 
gaze on the heavenly signal, and bless the God of 
their fathers. It begins to move off from Egypt, and 
takes the direction of the promised land. Judah 
unfurls his banner, and calls his thousands to follow. 
The standards of Reuben, and Ephraim, and Dan rise 
in front of their tribes. The whole assembly is in 
motion. The sun rose upon the earth, and beheld the 
march of the ransomed armies of God. On, and still on, 
they move. The Red Sea rolls its dark waves before 
them ; but Moses stretches forth his rod, and they march 
through on dry ground. Their provisions are spent ; but 
the heavens supply them with bread. The wilderness 
is parched and dry ; but the smitten rock sends out a 
stream. Jordan divides at their approach. The walls 
of Jericho fall. Terror seizes the inhabitants of Canaan. 
Host after host is routed. The war-horse is cut down. 
The chariot of iron is broken. The sun pauses in the 
heavens, and the moon is stayed ; but the cause of 
God goes forward, till all the land promised to Abra- 
ham is divided among his children. God had promised 
it, and God made good his word. 

That the whole earth shall be filled with the tri- 
umphs of the gospel, is not, in the view of man, more 
unlikely now, than the victories of the gospel, in the 
first ages of the Christian church, were, when Jesus 



THE MILLENNIUM. 277 

hung by nails to the cross on Calvary. What were the 
circumstances ? An obscure personage had arisen in 
Judea, so plain in appearance that he wore a seamless 
garment. A few tent-makers and fishermen constitute 
his train. The wealthy and the powerful of the Jewish 
nation hold him in unqualified abhorrence. At length 
he is betrayed by one disciple, denied by another, and 
forsaken by all. By the most influential men in the 
country he is accused of high treason before the 
Roman governor, and pronounced worthy of death. 
He is led from the hall of judgment to the place of 
execution, followed by the imprecations of that im- 
mense crowd which the passover had brought to 
Jerusalem. Thus he dies in circumstances of the 
most aggravated infamy. What rejecter of the gospel, 
that witnessed this scene, believed that in a few days 
Jerusalem would be filled with worshippers of Jesus ? 
Who, that disregarded the promise of God, believed 
that in that age his religion would overrun the Roman 
empire, and his disciples, then living, would salute the 
saints in Cassar's household ? What infidel then im- 
agined that in a few ages the emperor of Rome would 
be baptized, and publicly avow himself a disciple of 
that Jesus who was crucified without the gates of 
Jerusalem ? 

That the church shall enjoy a day of millennial 
glory, is scarcely more unlikely now, than her present 
condition was fifty years ago. Many now living 
remember well the haughty brow and lofty step of 
infidelity at that time. And many a prediction was 
then uttered, that in ten years there would not be a 
Christian in America, nor a Bible acknowledged as the 
word of God. Had it been alleged at that time, that, 
24 



278 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

in fifty years, thousands of Bible societies should be 
in vigorous operation, to put the sacred book into the 
hauds of every human being ; that the Cherokee In- 
dian, and the Greenlander, and the Chinese, should be 
reading the word of God in their own language ; that 
the song of salvation should be heard on the moun- 
tains of Asia, and on the plains of Africa ; that the 
islands of the sea should be seen stretching forth their 
hands to God ; that thousands of hardy sailors should 
quit their blasphemy, and revere the God of the ocean 
and the storm ; that millions of children, in Sabbath 
schools, should begin to lisp hosannas to the Son of 
David ; that millions of tracts, with the news of mercy, 
should travel abroad through the nations ; — had these 
things been alleged, fifty years ago, by an angel of 
light, many would have thought them utterly incredi- 
ble, and the answer would have been that given when 
plenty was predicted in the gate of Samaria — " If the 
Lord should make windows in heaven, might such a 
thing be?" But we have lived to see it. "It is the 
Lord's doing, and marvellous in our eyes." I have 
mentioned these instances to show you that if the Lord 
has said he will fill the earth with his glory, and sub- 
due all nations to the obedience of the gospel, we 
need not doubt that he will do it, because the event 
appears to us improbable, and difficult of accomplish- 
ment ; for we find that in all past ages he has made 
good his word, and performed all that he had spoken, 
when prospects, in the view of men, were just as dark, 
and just as unpromising. 

Let us now open the sacred book, and see what 
Jehovah has said. 

" And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the 



THE MILLENNIUM. 279 

mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in 
the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above 
the hills ; and all nations shall flow unto it. And 
many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us 
go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the 
God of Jacob, and he will teach us of his ways, and 
we will walk in his paths ; for out of Zion shall go 
forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 
And he shall judge among the nations, and shall 
rebuke many people ; and they shall beat their swords 
into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks : 
nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither 
shall they learn war any more." This remarkable 
passage, written upwards of seven hundred years before 
Christ appeared in Bethlehem, not only contains an 
animated description of the latter-day glory, but also 
distinctly notices the means by which it shall be 
introduced. Zion and Jerusalem denote the church 
as it has existed and now exists in the world. From 
Zion and Jerusalem the word of God is to be sent 
abroad among the nations, and the consequence is 
their conversion to God — an evident prediction of 
the present exertions of the church, by her Bible 
societies, to send the word of God into all the earth. 
" And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let 
us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of 
the God of Jacob ; and he will teach us his ways, and 
we will walk in his paths ; for out of Zion shall go 
forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusa- 
lem." (Isaiah ii. 2 — 4.) 

In Isaiah xi. 6 — 9, we find this prediction of the 
church's prosperity : " The wolf also shall dwell with 
the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid ; 



280 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

and the calf and the young lion and the fatling to- 
gether j and a little child shall lead them. And the 
cow and the bear shall feed ; their young ones shall lie 
down together : and the lion shall eat straw like the 
ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of 
the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the 
cockatrice's den ; they shall not hurt nor destroy in all 
my holy mountain : for the earth shall be full of the 
knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." 

" Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, 
wasting nor destruction within thy borders ; but thou 
shalt call thy walls salvation, and thy gates praise. 
The sun shall be no more thy light by day ; neither 
for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee : 
but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, 
and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go 
down ; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for 
the Lord shall be thy everlasting light, and the days 
of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also 
shall be all righteous : they shall inherit the land for- 
ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hand, 
that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a 
thousand, and a small one a strong nation : I the Lord 
will hasten it in his time." (Isaiah lx. 18 — 22.) 

" And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon 
to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall 
all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord." 
(Isaiah Ixvi. 23.) 

"And they shall teach no more every man his 
neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know 
ye the Lord : for they shall all know me, from the 
least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the 
Lord : for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will 
remember their sin no more." (Jer. xxxi. 34.) 



THE MILLENNIUM. 281 

" And I saw an angel come down from heaven, 
having the key of the bottomless pit, and a great chain 
in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old 
serpent, which is the devil, and satan, and bound him 
a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, 
and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he 
should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand 
years should be fulfilled ; and after that he must be 
loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they 
sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them : 
and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for 
the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and 
which had not worshipped the beast, neither his 
image, neither had received his mark upon their fore- 
heads or in their hands ; and they lived and reigned 
with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the 
dead lived not again until the thousand years were 
finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and 
holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection : on 
such the second death hath no power ; but they shall 
be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with 
him a thousand years." (Rev. xx. 1 — 6.) 

On these passages, I would remark, first, that they 
clearly teach, not only that the church shall enjoy a 
season of unusual prosperity, but that every individual 
shall be converted to God. For if any, even the 
smallest number, remained in rebellion, all would not 
know the Lord. There would still be need for one to 
teach another, and there would be some to hart and 
destroy in God's holy mountain. It is plain, then, 
that in the day of millennial glory, there will not be 
found, in the wide world, a solitary child of Adam but 
shall love and serve the Lord. 
24* 



282 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

Secondly. This prosperity of the church shall con- 
tinue a very long season — a thousand years, says 
the apostle. It is well known that, in prophecy, each 
day stands for a year. Daniel's seventy weeks are to 
be thus interpreted. The forty-two months, twelve 
hundred and sixty days, of Antichrist's reign, are thus 
understood. And surely the one thousand years of 
Christ's reign on earth should be interpreted by the 
same rule — three hundred and sixty thousand years, 
in which righteousness shall be triumphant, and holi- 
ness to the Lord shall cover the earth. 

But how shall these things come to pass ? In what 
way shall the whole earth be converted to God ? 

In the first place, it is evident that the reason why 
the whole earth will then embrace the gospel, is not 
because unsanctified human nature will gradually grow 
better, and the tone of depravity abate, until all men 
will fall in with that gospel which the majority has 
hitherto rejected. There is no evidence whatever, in 
Scripture, that as the world grows older, the rancor of 
man's hostility to God is diminished. The reverse is 
rather intimated. The Amorites, in the days of 
Joshua, were more wicked than the Amorites in the 
days of Abraham. Their " iniquity was full." When 
Jesus Christ was on the earth, in the cities of Bethsaida, 
Chorazin, and Capernaum, vice had grown to gigantic 
stature, such as it had never attained in Tyre or Sidon, 
Sodom or Gomorrah. The carnal mind is as perfect 
enmity against God now as it was on the first day 
after the fall. It is plain, therefore, that the conver- 
sion of the world will not take place in consequence 
of any abatement in the tone of man's natural de- 
pravity. 



THE MILLENNIUM. 283 

Secondly. We may remark, that the millennium will 
not take place by reason of the gospel growing better, 
and holding out stronger inducements for sinners to 
embrace it. The gospel, in the days of Christ, was 
the same that it now is. It will continue the same to 
the end of the world. Like its Author, it is " without 
variableness or shadow of turning." In all ages, it 
unfolds the same divine character, offers the same 
Savior to a lost world, brings to light the same immor- 
tality, tells of the same heaven, the same hell, and 
points to the same judgment bar. And in that day 
when all flesh shall see the salvation of God, it will be 
found that they have all closed in with that very 
gospel which the nations for many ages past have 
neglected and despised. 

Thirdly. The reason why all hearts shall fall in 
with the gospel in the latter day, is not because the 
gospel will then be better preached than it had ever 
been before. There is no doubt but that the heralds 
of salvation will then possess much higher qualifica- 
tion for their work than they now do. But this is not 
the chief reason why every heart will then bow to 
God. There was once a Preacher on earth who far 
surpassed any whp will appear during the millennium. 
" Never man spake like Jesus Christ." Never man will 
speak like him. Those who sat under his sermons 
" were astonished at his doctrine," and " wondered at 
the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth." 
Yet, instead of giving him their hearts, they assailed 
him with insult and violence ; they crowned him with 
thorns, and stained the summit of Calvary with his 
blood. 

Thus we find that the heart of man has stood out 



284 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

against the gospel when it was more powerfully 
preached than it will be during the millennium. 

How, then, shall all hearts be subdued ? This day 
will be preceded by tremendous and desolating judg- 
ments. Hear the language of Isaiah, ii. 10 — 21 : 
" Enter into the rock, an'd hide thee in the dust, for 
fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty. The 
lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughti- 
ness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone 
shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the 
Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud 
and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up ; and 
he shall be brought low ; and upon all the cedars of 
Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the 
oaks of Bashan, and upon all the high mountains, and 
upon all the hills that are lifted up, and upon every 
high tower, and upon every fenced wall, and upon all 
the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures. 
And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and 
the haughtiness of men shall be made low : and the 
Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. And the 
idols he shall utterly abolish. And they shall go into 
the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, 
for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, 
when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth. In that 
day, a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols 
of gold, which they made each one for himself to 
worship, to the moles and to the bats ; to go into the 
clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged 
rocks, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his 
majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth." 
Isa. lxvi. 15, 16 : " For behold, the Lord will come 
with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to 



THE MILLENNIUM. 285 

render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames 
of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the Lord 
plead with all flesh : and the slain of the Lord shall 
be many." But judgments alone never did, and never 
will, turn sinners from the error of their ways. Judg- 
ments destroy, but are insufficient to convert sinners 
to God. The "balm of Gilead " alone can heal the 
diseases of the soul. And all nations will be turned 
to God, by the omnipotent energies of the Holy Spirit 
applying to their hearts the truths of the gospel. With- 
out this, all the Bibles, and Sabbaths, and sermons, 
with which a sinner can be favored, produce no saving 
effect. The inhabitants of the earth, at the millenni- 
um, will be converted just in the same manner as the 
three thousand were on the day of pentecost — by the 
powerful operation of the spirit of grace. When the 
Holy Spirit was poured out, more souls were brought 
to God, under one sermon of Peter, than had been 
converted during three and a half years by the preach- 
ing of Him who u spake as never man spake ; " and 
doubtless God designed this remarkable fact to teach 
the world that the most advantageous means, without 
the special influences of the Holy Spirit, would avail 
nothing. 

Sinners, in the latter day, will all be turned to God, 
just in the same manner that Paul was. His heart 
was in high rebellion ; but the Spirit of God overtook 
him, the enmity of his proud spirit was broken down, 
and he cast himself at the feet of that Savior whom 
before he had blasphemed. When the Savior was on 
earth, he often said, " Many are called, but few chosen." 
That is, many hear the general invitation of the gospel, 
but few, comparatively, have their hearts subdued. It 



286 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

was so in that day. But it will be far otherwise when 
the " new Jerusalem shall come down from God out 
of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her hus- 
band ; " for then the converting influences of the Holy- 
Spirit shall come down on every heart. " They shall 
be all taught of God." " The Lord will make bare 
his arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends 
of the earth shall see his salvation." (Isaiah lii. 10.) 

There is a notable fact, which the prophets have 
testified of this day, to which I would now call your 
attention. All Christians shall then " see eye to eye." 
They will all understand the Bible alike. There will 
not then be such a variety of dialects in the " language 
of Canaan " as there now is ; but all the disciples of 
Jesus will most cordially agree respecting the grand 
system of doctrines taught in his word. Isaiah says, 
" The watchmen shall lift up their voice ; with the 
voice together shall they sing ; for they shall see eye 
to eye." Jehovah says, " They shall be my people, 
and I will be their God j and I will give them one 
heart, and one way, that they may fear me forever." 
And not only so, but the truths of the gospel shall 
then be seen with uncommon clearness. " The light 
of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the 
light of the sun shall be sevenfold." All the doc- 
trines of the gospel shall then stand out, in bold relief, 
with amazing brightness, in the view of all nations. 

Let us now pause, for a moment, and notice some 
of the great gospel doctrines wnich the people in the 
millennial day, from the very circumstances in which 
they are placed, must see with peculiar clearness. 

1. The doctrine of God's absolute sovereignty : that 
he gives his favors when and where he pleases j that 



THE MILLENNIUM. 287 

none of Adam's race have the least claim to a single 
crumb of his mercy ; and that he has a right to do 
just what he pleases with his own ; and that no man 
on earth has a right to dispute his awful will, or say 
unto him, What doest thou ? In the present and past 
dark ages of the church, many have opposed this doc- 
trine, and contended that, if it be true, the conduct of 
God towards men is partial and unjust, as he does 
more for some than he does for others ; but in the days 
of the millennium, this doctrine will be clearly seen, 
and universally acknowledged ; for they shall all see 
eye to eye. They will see that God has done for them 
what he never did for any other people, since the day 
he created man upon the earth. He has come down 
among them with power and great glory, and has 
turned every heart from sin to holiness, and brought 
every human being from Satan to God. And while 
the Bible tells them that God conferred favors on Abra- 
ham and his family above the antediluvians, and dis- 
tinguished Israel above the nations around them, and 
performed works in Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Caper- 
naum, beyond any thing that was ever known in 
Sodom and Gomorrah, the people of the millennium 
will see and feel that God has distinguished them, 
above all people that ever lived upon the earth. They 
will admire the sovereign, distinguishing grace of 
God ; and every heart will joyfully adopt the language 
of the Savior, " Even so, Father ; for so it seemed 
good in thy sight." 

2. The doctrine of effectual calling, or that sinners 
are converted to God by the special influences of the 
Holy Spirit, will be seen, and universally acknowl- 
edged, by the people of the millennium. They will 



288 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

see how the dispensations of the Holy Spirit in their 
day differ from what they were during the ministry 
of Jesus Christ, when " many were called, but few 
chosen." For now, behold ! kings have become nurs- 
ing-fathers, and queens nursing-mothers, to the church. 
They will know that the " king's heart is in the hand 
of the Lord : as the rivers of water, he turneth it 
whithersoever he pleaseth ; " and that "it is the Lord " 
that hath turned the hearts of kings and queens to 
righteousness. And when they see .piety prevailing 
among all classes of men, from the least to the great- 
est, they will not conclude that the glorious change has. 
taken place just because all men, at the same time, 
happened to take a notion to make a good use of their 
self-determining power. No ; they will ascribe it to 
God ; they will confess it is the " Lord's doing, and 
marvellous in our eyes ; " and they will unite with the 
holy Psalmist in saying, "Not unto us, O Lord, not 
unto us, but unto thy name," be all the glory. 

3. There is a doctrine plainly taught in the Bible, 
which, in the past dark ages of the Christian church, 
and even in the present age, has received much unkind 
treatment ; but in the days of the millennium it will 
be " established in the top of the mountains, and ex- 
alted above the hills ; and all nations shall flow unto 
it." I mean the doctrine of God's determinate counsel 
— his eternal purposes. Many professors of religion 
have an idea that there is something very dreadful in 
the doctrine of God's immutable decrees. They be- 
lieve in foreknowledge • but speak not of God acting 
now — " according to the eternal purpose which he 
purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord ; " say not that " his 
counsel shall stand ; " that he " worketh all things 
after the counsel of his own will." 



THE MILLENNIUM. 289 

Bat when the knowledge of the Lord shall cover 
the whole earth, this subject will stand in a clearer 
light. The people of that day will have before their 
eyes the happy results of God's operations for thou- 
sands of years. They will look around them, and see 
that what he promised many ages before, he has now 
fulfilled. They will look into the holy book ; and 
they will see that God had not only foretold that there 
should be a day of millennial glory, but had promised 
that he himself would bring it about. " I the Lord 
will hasten it in his time." They will believe in God's 
foreknowledge ; but their belief will go further. They 
will see that the Lord not only foresaw there would be 
a millennium, but that from the beginning it had been 
his determinate purpose to grant his church this blessed 
day ; that, thousands of years ago, he had revealed his 
design to "build up Zion, and appear in his glory," 
when "the set time to favor her is come." (Ps. cii. 
15.) They will hear a voice proceeding from the holy 
oracles, " The Lord of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely 
as I have thought, so shall it come to pass ; and as I 
have purposed, so shall it stand. This is the purpose 
that is purposed upon the whole earth ; and this is the 
hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. For 
the Lord of Hosts hath purposed, and who shall dis- 
annul it ? And his hand is stretched out, and who 
shall turn it back ? I am God, and there is none else. 
I am God, and there is none like me ; declaring the 
end from the beginning, and from ancient times the 
things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall 
stand, and I will do all my pleasure." (Isa. xiv. 24, 
26, 27, and Isa. xlvi. 9, 10.) The people of the mil- 
lennial day will hear this from the sacred book. They 
25 



290 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

will see the glory of the church around them ; and 
with the venerable old apostle they will exclaim, " O 
the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowl- 
edge of God ! " And earth will roll back the anthem 
that comes down from heaven, " We give thee thanks, 
O Lord God Almighty, who art, and wast, and art to 
come ; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, 
and hast reigned." (Rev. xi. 17.) 

4. The doctrine of the perseverance of the saints in 
holiness will then be understood and acknowledged by 
all "nations, and kindreds, and people " under heaven." 
In the present state of the church, the wheat and the 
tares grow together. Many assume the badge of 
Christianity from base motives, mingle a while among 
the children of God, and then turn back to the world. 
This has led some well-meaning people to conclude 
that real saints sometimes fall from grace, and perish. 
But in the days of the millennium this mistake will 
be corrected. There will then be no hypocrites in the 
church. " All shall know the Lord, from the least to 
the greatest." And there will be no apostasies ; for 
every soul will be the subject of genuine conversion. 
It is plain that the doctrine of " falling from grace," 
however numerous its advocates may now be, will be 
utterly exploded by all nations during the long periods 
of the millennium ; for if any should fall from grace, 
then all would not " know the Lord." There would 
still be need for " one to teach another," and there 
would be some to " hurt and destroy in God's holy 
mountain." These apostates would be very trouble- 
some — the very kind of people to create disturbance. 
But there shall be none. Perfect peace, and undis- 
turbed tranquillity, shall prevail through all God's holy 



THE MILLENNIUM. 291 

mountain. Thus we see that, when Jesus shall come 
to reign in our world, the doctrine of falling from grace 
shall " flee away, and no place be found for it." 

5. The harmony between the agency of God and 
the agency of man will be much better understood by 
the people during the millennium, than it has been in 
ages past. Many excellent men have been greatly in 
the dark on this subject. They have supposed that 
God cannot convert all sinners, without destroying 
their free agency, and turning them into machines ; 
and this they think is the great reason why God has 
not converted all sinners long ago. They have also 
maintained that God cannot keep all saints from fall- 
ing from grace, without destroying their free agency, 
and turning them into machines. This is one of the 
main pillars on which they build their doctrine of 
falling from grace. But when the " light of the moon 
shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the 
sun shall be sevenfold," all the people of that day 
will see that, however devout and useful in other 
respects the advocates of the above opinions may have 
been, yet on those points they were sadly mistaken. 
They will see that God has, in fact, come down among 
them, in the powerful influences of his Spirit, and 
subdued the heart of every sinner. The loftiness of 
man is bowed down, and the haughtiness of man is 
made low, and the Lord alone is exalted. All flesh 
see his glory, and rejoice in his love ; and yet not 
a man on earth has lost his free agency — not one has 
been turned into a machine. And as age after age 
rolls by, they will see that all saints persevere in holi- 
ness — none fall from grace — "all are kept by the 
power of God through faith unto salvation ; " yet no 



292 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

saint is turned into a machine, but all retain their free 
agency. Thus they will see that their brethren, who, 
in former ages, contended so stoutly for the foregoing 
opinions, were altogether mistaken ; and that the light 
which they thought they had on these points was 
darkness. 

Now, it is just as evident that the system of doc- 
trines at which I have glanced is the system that will 
be received, and rejoiced in, during the millennium, as 
it is that that glorious day will come. Indeed, the 
fact itself, that a day is coming when the church shall 
be blessed with a period of millennial glory, furnishes 
incontestable proof of the doctrines I have mentioned ; 
for on no other plan can such a day be reasonably 
expected. Destroy these doctrines, and you destroy 
the only foundation on which the church can build 
her hope that Jesus shall yet fill the whole earth with 
his glory. Deny the doctrine of God's immutable 
purposes ; say that he has no " set time to favor Zion ; " 
say that he as much designed to convert and save all 
men, in ages that are past, when but few were con- 
verted, as he does in any ages that are yet to come, 
— and how is the whole earth to be converted ? Deny 
the doctrine of effectual calling ; say that God has 
already done all that he can do, consistently with man's 
free agency, to convert and save all men ; and that his 
Spirit will take no mightier method to subdue the 
hearts of all sinners hereafter, than he has taken al- 
ready, — and I ask, how are all hearts to be turned to 
God ? We have seen that the tone of enmity in the 
carnal heart will not abate. We have seen that the 
gospel will undergo no change — will hold out no 
stronger inducements to sinners. We have seen that 



THE MILLENNIUM. 293 

the gospel will not be preached better in time to come, 
than it was when multitudes despised it. Where, then, 
is the hope of the church, that all nations shall learn 
righteousness, and the saving knowledge of God shall 
cover the earth ? It is lost. Yes, it is lost j and it 
never can be found, till you come back to those grand 
doctrines of revelation we have mentioned, and ac- 
knowledge that the bright period of Zion's triumph is 
certain ; because God, in his counsels, has determined 
it. It will come ; because " the Lord will hasten it in 
his time," " according to the eternal purpose which he 
purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

In like manner, reject the doctrine of the persever- 
ance of the saints ; deny that the great Shepherd of 
Israel " keeps " every converted soul, " by his power, 
through faith, unto salvation ; " and where can there 
be any certainty that, through the long periods of 
Christ's reign on earth, " there shall be none to hurt 
or destroy in all his holy mountain " ? 

Thus you clearly see that the fact that God will, at 
his " set time," make his church triumphant in all the 
earth, furnishes incontestable proof of those precious 
doctrines which have " been every where spoken 
against." 

REFLECTIONS. 

1. This subject shows us that God's ways are higher 
than our ways, as the heavens are higher than the 
earth. We would have thought it best that the mil- 
lennium should have been introduced immediately 
after the fall of man ; and that the career of human 
wickedness, and the reign of Satan, should have been 
as short as possible. God could have bound Satan 
25* 



294 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

then, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and con- 
verted the world, as easily as at the day he has 
appointed ; but he did not. He is acting for the uni- 
verse, and acting for eternity. He is doing that which 
he sees best on the whole, taking into view the whole 
extent of his dominions, and the whole duration of 
his reign. He has seen it best that mankind should 
be taught by experience what is in their revolted 
hearts, that they may know how much they are in- 
debted to God for his redeeming mercy. It is a divine 
maxim, that to whom much is forgiven, the same will 
love much; but to whom little is forgiven, the same 
will love little ; and just in the same degree that men 
are acquainted with their depravity, will be their grati- 
tude to God for redemption. Had God led the Israel- 
ites directly from Egypt to Canaan, which was but a 
few days' journey, they would never have known that 
such wickedness was in their hearts as they acted out 
when God " proved them, and tried them, forty years 
in the wilderness." God knew all this before ; but he 
took this course, that they might know it too, and be- 
come acquainted with themselves. And had he intro- 
duced the millennium immediately after the fall of 
man, it never would have been known to saints on 
earth — it never would have been known to glorified 
spirits in heaven — how deep and how dreadful the 
depravity into which man has fallen. It would have 
been known to God and to him only ; but from 
created beings he never would have received all the 
honor to which he is entitled for man's redemption. 
He chose a different plan. Soon after the fall, he gave 
a single intimation that he would be merciful to peni- 
tent and returning sinners. But how did men treat 



THE MILLENNIUM. 295 

it ? Did they hail with joy the prospect of reconcilia- 
tion to God ? Did they, with one heart, follow this 
beam of light, that had come to our dark world, to the 
mercy seat from which it issued ? No. Proud in his 
rebellion, and pleased with his distance from God, man 
turned away in scorn from the proffers of pardon. 
" All flesh corrupted his way." " The wickedness of 
man was great in the earth," and " every imagination 
of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continu- 
ally." Thus matters went on for more than two 
thousand years. 

In the days of Abraham, God gave a further devel- 
opment of his gracious designs. The nations paid no 
attention to it, but with madness pursued every folly 
and every abomination. And thus four hundred and 
thirty years rolled by. Then God came down on Mount 
Sinai, proclaimed his law, and gave numerous institu- 
tions, most significant and impressive, all pointing to 
the great Messiah as the only hope of a lost world. 
But it made no impression on the nations. Not one 
of them forsook idolatry, and turned to God for the 
hope of redemption. And even Israel, who heard 
God's thunder, and saw his lightning, at Sinai, were 
with difficulty restrained from casting away the oracles 
of God, and plunging into all the abominations of the 
heathen. Thus matters stood for fifteen hundred 
years. He then sent his Son into the world. M Sure- 
ly they will reverence my Son." But they cried, 
" Away with him from the earth ! Crucify him, crucify 
him ! " And now he has caused the light of the 
gospel to shine upon our world for near two thousand 
years ; and how have mankind acted ? How have they 
chosen the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eye, and 



296 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

the pride of life, in preference to communion and 
fellowship with God, and the joys of his holy king- 
dom ! Thus mankind have been proved and tried 
in a great variety of circumstances, and have shown 
their deep-rooted hostility to God, and their determi- 
nation that he shall not rule over them. An impres- 
sion is made far and wide through the universe, how 
deeply they deserve eternal banishment from God, and 
from glory. It is a history that will never be forgot- 
ten while immortality endures. And now, when 
God's "set time to favor Zion " is come, and he 
shall cause every heart to bow, and wave the banner 
of salvation over every tribe, and kingdom, and people 
on our globe, the pride of man will be stained ; heaven 
and earth will acknowledge that it is the work of the 
Lord. No flesh shall dare to glory in his presence. 
But, as it is written, " He that glorieth, let him glory 
in the Lord." 

Blessed Jesus ! thou shalt see the travail of thy soul, 
and shalt be satisfied. But O, what a day of salva- 
tion ! what a renovated world ! — Holiness to the Lord 
inscribed on every object ; all classes of men, from 
the least to the greatest, clothed with righteousness ; 
fervent piety in every heart ; anthems of praise ascend- 
ing from every habitation. The young man con- 
secrates to God the morning of life ; the aged man 
worships, leaning on the top of his staff; and children 
stretch their little hands to heaven, and cry, " Hosanna 
to the Son of David." 

2. And now, my Christian friends, what encourage- 
ment does this subject impart to you, to be active and 
energetic in your efforts to advance the cause of your 
Redeemer ! God carries forward his cause in the 



THE MILLENNIUM. 297 

world by human instrumentality. Thus he grants to 
us the high privilege of being " workers together with 
God," in advancing the interest of his kingdom, and 
the glory of his great name. And what a privilege is 
this ! Look at the old soldier who fought by the side 
of Washington, when our country was struggling for 
liberty ; see him now surrounded by his children and 
his children's children, casting an eye of admiration 
over this great, this highly-favored nation ; and how 
does his heart swell with rapture inexpressible, when 
he reflects, " Under the direction of the God of battles, 
my exertions contributed to procure these blessings j 
these hands had an agency in raising my country to 
happiness and glory " ! 

Now, King Eternal is building up a kingdom, 
which, in importance, surpasses all earthly kingdoms, 
as far as eternity surpasses time. And in advancing 
this great cause, he employs the agency of rulers and 
subjects, ministers and people, husbands and wives, 
parents and children. He employs the agency of all 
who love him. And what a privilege is it to be em- 
ployed in such a cause ! And when the Leader of the 
armies of Israel has put down all opposition, and 
filled the whole earth with his glory, what holy rapture 
will possess the hearts of all who have fought under 
his banner ! And O, how the plains of immortality 
will resound with Alleluia ! Alleluia ! when Moses, 
and Isaiah, and Daniel, and all the old soldiers that 
fought, and bled, and died in the service of King Im- 
manuel, look down from heaven, and see that the cause 
of their Master is triumphant, and " the kingdoms of 
this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord 
and of his Christ." Christian, do you desire to have a 



298 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

part in the rejoicings of that day ? Then consecrate 
all your powers to the service, of Jesus, and he will 
give you " a crown of life that fadeth not away." 

3. When the Redeemer has finished his reign on 
earth, a scene of the deepest interest will ensue. He 
will cause the graves to open, and all that sleep in 
the dust of the earth to come forth ; he will separate 
the righteous from the wicked ; he will call the angels 
of God to draw near ; he will summon the inhabitants 
of every world he has formed to approach and witness 
his proceedings. All his conduct towards the human 
family, from the day that Adam was created till the 
judgment trump was blown, he will cause to pass in 
review before the assembled universe. The wisdom 
and holiness, the mercy and truth, the perfection and 
beauty of all his dealings with the children of men, 
will stand out in the light of eternity ; and from the 
countless throng of holy beings will burst the accla- 
mation, " Amen ! Alleluia ! " 

Then, before he pronounces on the impenitent the 
irrevocable sentence, he will cause all the treatment 
he has received from them to pass in review before the 
vast assembly — the conduct of those who set at 
nought and sold him, pierced and nailed him to the 
tree ; the quibbles of infidels who denied his truth, 
and labored to falsify his word ; the " hard speeches" 
which bold blasphemers had spoken against him ; the 
deep-laid schemes to injure his cause and destroy his 
kingdom ; each guilty soul, on the left hand of the 
Judge, will see his most secret crimes, and his long- 
forgotten acts of impiety, rising in dark array before 
the eyes of the immense assembly. O Daniel ! is this 
the " shame and everlasting contempt " foretold by 



THE MILLENNIUM. 299 

thee ? Lord Jesus, is this the " resurrection of dam- 
nation " ? Unthinking traveller to eternity, is it in 
view of this, that Jesus warns you to " prepare to meet 
your God " ? Is it in view of this, that he entreats 
you to " flee from the wrath to come " ? Careless 
sinner, you came from God, and to God you are going j 
from his presence there is no escape. " If you ascend 
into heaven, he is there ; if you make your bed in hell, 
behold, he is there." You are going to meet him ; O, 
how unprepared ! Yet meet him you must ; the grave 
cannot hide you ; rocks and mountains cannot cover 
you ; death and hell can furnish no hiding-place from 
God. And yet you may meet him in mercy. O, look 
to Calvary ! Who is that, with the nail-prints in his 
hands, and the spear-wound in his side ? It is Jesus, 
who died for sinners. Escape for your life to him, in 
whom alone there is redemption. 

Impenitent man, what you do must be done quickly : 
you stand on critical ground ; you live in a most 
eventful age. Look abroad through the earth, and 
behold the footsteps of the Almighty. The arm of 
the Lord is awake. He is sweeping the nations and 
shaking the earth. Your father never saw a day like 
this. God's purposes are ripening fast ; his church is 
fast filling up. Soon the door will be shut. God lifts 
his hand to heaven, and declares he "will make a short 
work in the earth." The sinner that will not bow he 
will " kill with death." The soul that will not surren- 
der he will consume with the " breath of his mouth, and 
the brightness of his coming." Already you have trifled 
with his mercy long ; already the cry of your sins 
has gone up before God ; already the tempest is gath- 
ering ; the dark cloud is seen, and the distant thunder 



300 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

is heard. But you are not yet lost. There is yet 
within your view, on the mediatorial throne, " one 
like unto the Son of man." See, round about his head 
is the rainbow of mercy, in token that as yet the storm 
is stayed. Delay not a moment. Fly to Jesus, and 
your soul shall live. 



BEL AND NEBO. 301 



BEL AND NEBO. 



A western gentleman, of wealth and respectability, 
said to a clergyman of his acquaintance, " There are 
portions of the Bible that seem to me to have little or 
no meaning. Can I believe that such passages are a 
part of the inspired word of God? " 

" Please mention the passages to which you refer," 
said the clergyman. 

" One of them," answered the gentleman, " is found 
in the commencement of the forty-sixth chapter of 
Isaiah. It runs thus : l Bel boweth down, Nebo stoop- 
eth ; their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the 
cattle : your carriages were heavy loaden ; they are a 
burden to the weary beast. They stoop ; they bow 
down together ; they could not deliver the burden, but 
themselves are gone into captivity.' I can see no 
meaning in this passage." 

" Shall I give you a brief exposition, which I think 
will render the text plain and interesting ? " 

" I shall be gratified to hear you," added the gen- 
tleman. 

" Observe, then," said the minister, " that Bel and 
Nebo were the two principal idols of Babylon. Their 
kings and heroes often bear names and titles in which 
there is a reference to these notable idols, as i?eZshazzar, 
iVe6wchadnezzar, ./Vefotzaradan, &c. They had, it is 
26 



302 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

true, other inferior deities, which they worshipped ; 
but Bel and Nebo were the great chiefs among their 
imaginary gods. The kings of Babylon had been a 
dreadful scourge to the surrounding nations. They 
had slaughtered their population ; they had plundered 
their temples and their treasuries, and had carried all 
the wealth which they could thus collect to Babylon. 
And the glory of these conquests they ascribed to Bel 
and Nebo. When they were about engaging in some 
important military expedition, they invoked the aid 
and benediction of Bel and Nebo ; and when their 
incursion into a neighboring nation had been successful, 
they crowded the temples of Bel and Nebo, and offered 
sacrifices of thanksgiving, and paid to these idols the 
most costly honors. At length, the king of Babylon 
invaded Judea. As he made war under the patronage 
of Bel and Nebo, the conclusion was, that, whenever 
he conquered, these idols of Babylon had proved too 
mighty for the god of the conquered people. When 
Jerusalem fell into the hands of the king of Babylon, 
these idolaters did not wish to believe the truth. They 
did not wish to believe that Israel were smitten for 
their sins against God. They loved darkness. They 
loved to believe a lie. They exulted in the oppor- 
tunity of blazing abroad, that now the idols of Baby- 
lon had proved too strong for the God of Israel. The 
city called by his name was destroyed. The beautiful 
house built for his praise was burned with fire j and 
his people were carried into captivity. And now they 
devised honors for their favorite idol beyond all parallel. 
The king, the princes, and the people, all combine. 
1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, 
whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth 



BEL AND NEBO. 303 

thereof six cubits : he set it up in the plain of Dura, 
in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar 
the king sent to gather together the princes, the gov- 
ernors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the 
counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the prov- 
inces, to come to the dedication of the image which 
Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. Then the 
princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the 
treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the 
rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto 
the dedication of the image that Nebuchadezzar the 
king had set up ; and they stood before the image that 
Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then a herald cried 
aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and 
languages, that at what time ye hear the sound of the 
cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all 
kinds of music, ye fall down, and worship the golden 
image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up. And 
whoso falleth not down, and worshippeth, shall the 
same hour be cast into the midst of a burning, fiery 
furnace.' . (Daniel hi. 1 — 6.) Such were the honors 
publicly given to Bel, after Jerusalem had fallen before 
the armies of Babylon. And the honors given to Nebo 
were scarcely inferior. Long ago, these idolaters had 
heard the fame of the God of Israel — the wonders 
wrought in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the wilder- 
ness. They had trembled in dread of the power of 
Jehovah. But now his worshippers are vanquished, 
and carried into captivity. His temple is destroyed ; 
and the land called by his name is made a desolation. 
Their exultation is unbounded ; and invention is tor- 
tured for methods to give demonstrations of their joy. 
And now the prophecy of Isaiah comes before them, 



304 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

that Jehovah, the God of Israel, will accomplish the 
downfall of Babylon. ' Behold, I will stir up the 
Medes against them, which shall not regard silver ; and 
as for gold, they shall not delight in it.' ' And Baby- 
lon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' 
excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom 
and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither 
shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation : 
neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there ; neither 
shall the shepherds make their fold there ; but wild 
beasts of the desert shall lie there ; and their houses 
shall be full of doleful creatures ; and owls shall dwell 
there, and satyrs shall dance there. And the wild 
beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, 
and dragons in their pleasant palaces ; and her time is 
near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.' 
(Isaiah xiii. 17, 19 — 22.) In the forty-fifth chapter, 
the prophet goes into particulars, and gives specifica- 
tions concerning the destruction of Babylon. 

" 1. Cyrus, the Persian, shall command the conquer- 
ing enemy, (v. 1.) 

" 2. Cyrus, though a heathen, unacquainted with 
the true religion, is called to this great work by the 
God of Israel, (v. 4, 5.) 

" 3. God will < open before him the two-leaved 
gates, and the gates shall not be shut,' (v. 1.) 

" 4. The ' treasures and hidden riches of Babylon 
shall be given to him,' (v. 3.) 

"5. He shall ' let go the captive Jews.' 

" 6. ' Not for price nor reward ; ' that is, he shall 
not demand a ransom, (v. 13.) 

" 7. He shall rebuild Jerusalem. 

" 8. < And rebuild the temple,' (chap. xliv. 28.) 



BEL AND NEBO. 305 

"But the Babylonian unbeliever demands, ' Where 
is Bel — where is Nebo — while this destruction is 
coming on their favorite city ? Where are those power- 
ful gods of Babylon, that have dashed the nations in 
pieces before her conquering armies? Such an over- 
throw of Babylon is incredible, while she is upheld by 
Bel and Nebo.' The prophet replies, ' The Medes 
and Persians will pull down these senseless images, 
and break them to pieces, and put the metal of which 
they are composed on mules and pack-horses, and into 
carriages, and bear it away to Persia.' ' Bel boweth 
down, Nebo stoopeth ; their idols were upon the beasts 
and upon the cattle : your carriages were heavy loaden ; 
they are a burden to the weary beast. They stoop, 
they bow down together ; they could not deliver the 
burden, but themselves are gone into captivity.' (Isaiah 
xlvi. 1, 2.)" 

The effect of this exposition on the mind of the 
gentleman who introduced the discussion I have not 
the means of knowing. The elucidation of the text 
is inserted here, with the hope that it may prove ac- 
ceptable to the readers of the " Western Sketch-Book. " 
26* 



306 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 



EXPOSITION OF SCRIPTURE 



" And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the 
which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the 
world itself could not contain the books that should be written." 
(John xxi. 25.) 

The plain Christian reads this assertion of the apos- 
tle in much astonishment. No declaration in the New 
Testament appears to him more mysterious and strange ; 
and, after reviewing it again and again, he finds him- 
self utterly unable to form even a plausible conjecture 
of what the inspired writer intended. He could not 
mean to assert that if every one of the things which 
Jesus did in the presence of his disciples, before his 
death and after his resurrection, were committed to 
writing, the number and size of the books would be so 
great that there would not be in the world itself, or in 
the whole world, room enough to contain them ; and 
yet this seems to be the direct import of the language 
employed. After many fruitless efforts to extract the 
apostle's meaning, he leaves the passage in despair, 
deeply regretting that, to his mind, " shadows, clouds, 
and darkness rest upon it." 

Eisner, one of the most famous of European critics, 
explains this text as if the apostle had said, " If all the 
works that Jesus did were recorded, the unbelieving 
world would not admit them, so as to be moved by 



EXPOSITION OF SCRIPTURE. 307 

them to faith and obedience." But the sacred writer 
well knew that unbelievers would scoff and reject 
what he had written. This, therefore, could not be 
assigned as a reason for his not writing more. 

" God is his own interpreter." Many parts of his 
holy book, which at first are difficult of comprehension, 
become perfectly plain when compared with the events 
of his providence. After the apostles had witnessed 
the life and death of Jesus Christ, they had a much 
clearer understanding of the Old Testament predic- 
tions concerning him than the prophets had, by whom 
those predictions were uttered. (1 Pet. i. 10 — 12.) 
And many things which Christ did and said were at 
first unintelligible to the disciples ; but after his resur- 
rection, they were clear as the light of heaven. Ac- 
cordingly, we read, (John xii. 16,) "These things 
understood not his disciples at the first : but when 
Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these 
things were written of him, and that they had done 
these things unto him." 

In like manner, the Christian who now attentively 
surveys what the Lord is doing for the advancement 
of his church, will be enabled to understand declara- 
tions contained in his word, which, a few ages back, 
were shrouded in impenetrable obscurity. The Lamb 
is opening seal after seal, and as he moves forward, 
" conquering and to conquer," the light of revealed 
truth will shine upon our dark world more and more, 
until the perfect millennial day. The passage under 
consideration is one of this description ; it can be more 
fully comprehended now than in any former age. 
But it must be remarked, that the Greek word which 
in the text is translated contain, more properly signifies 



308 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

to receive; the best Greek lexicons render it thus, 
X«p>]c'ai, recipere, to receive. " The world itself," or 
"the whole world, could not receive the books that 
should be written." God designed that the inspired 
record of the doctrines, and miracles, and death of 
Jesus Christ should be put into the hands of the 
whole world, as an infallible rule of faith and prac- 
tice. He mentioned this, by the mouth of Isaiah, 
as taking place in order to the conversion of all 
nations. " Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and 
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." His Omnipo- 
tent Spirit is now arousing the Christian church to 
the mighty enterprise ; already the holy book is 
spreading among the nations with unexampled rapidi- 
ty ; already the benighted tribes of Europe, Africa, 
Asia, and America, begin to feel its amazing influ- 
ence ; already, in large and populous districts, every 
family has been visited and supplied with the sacred 
oracles. Nor shall the glorious work stop until every 
kindred and people under heaven read, in their own 
tongue, wherein they were born, " the wonderful works 
of God." 

But says the apostle, if all the things which 
Jesus said and did in the presence of his disciples had 
been written in the inspired book, " I suppose that the 
whole world could not receive the books that should 
be written." No. It would have swelled the sacred 
writings to an extent too great ; it would have been 
impracticable to have put the whole human family in 
possession of them, and thus fill the earth with the 
knowledge of the Lord. The spirit of inspiration, 
therefore, chose only to record so much as is necessary 
.for the salvation of souls. " These are written, that 



EXPOSITION OF SCRIPTURE. 309 

ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of 
God ; and that believing, ye might have life through 
his name." And when the redeemed soul enters eter- 
nity, a part of the delightful employment of that 
heavenly world will be to hear from our blessed Lord 
himself, and from those who conversed with him while 
on earth, many other particulars of his life, which will 
be worthy of everlasting admiration. 



310 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 



A VISION 



I pursued my way over a desolate and uninhabited 
land. The sun, " rejoicing as a strong man to run a 
race," rushed through a clear sky up to his midday 
throne, and flooded "hill, and dale, and mountain- 
peak " with the profusion of his radiance. Silence, 
profound and wide, reigned over the mighty landscape, 
save when the doe bleated to her fawir, or the proud 
eagle, wheeling in airy circles on high, screamed to his 
distant mate. In every land, Nature has her grandeur, 
and her loveliness ; and yet God has made nothing in 
vain. The language of inspiration is as applicable to 
those objects which constitute the furniture of the 
wilderness, as to those that " garnish the heavens." 
" For his glory they are and were created." It is only 
in relation to man that the beautiful sentiment of Mr. 
Gray is correct — 

" Full many a gem, of purest ray serene, 

The dark, unfathomed caves of ocean bear ; 
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, 
And waste its sweetness on the desert air." 

Who can think of the full-blown rose on the lonely 
hill ; the wild apple-tree in the solitary glen, sustaining 
its pyramid of flowers, and enriching the air with its 
perfumes ; the unvisited solitude of the mountain cas- 



A VISION. 311 



cade, with its ceaseless music, which man sees not, 
hears not ; — who, in short, can think of the wonders 
of earth, and the wonders of ocean, which, to Adam's 
children, seem to exist in vain, without being forced 
to the conclusion, that our world rolls in the view of 
other intellectual beings than those of the human 
family ? 

; ' Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth 
Unseen, both when we wake and when we sleep." 

God's work of creation, as well as his work of re- 
demption, contains countless " things which the angels 
desire to look into." 

As the evening approached, I perceived before me a 
remarkable eminence. Its elevation was great, and 
the summit was crowned with a lofty grove of ma- 
jestic cedars. The cedar is much celebrated in the 
sacred writings. It is an evergreen. The winter 
comes; but "its leaf does not wither." Fit emblem 
of the child of God! "He shall grow like a cedar in 
Lebanon." (Ps. xcii. 12.) The student of the Bible 
cannot look on the noble cedar without interesting 
associations. As I fixed my eyes on the stately grove, 
I thought of the beautiful imagery employed by the 
church, when describing her beloved — " His coun- 
tenance is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars." I 
remembered the prayer of Moses — "I beseech thee 
let me go over and see the good land that is beyond 
Jordan, and that goodly mountain, Lebanon." 

The ascent was arduous and long. At length, how- 
ever, I found myself in the bosom of the venerable 
grove. The spot was lovely beyond description. At 
the foot of a rock, gray with years, bubbled a little 



312 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

fountain, whose stream, skirted with green, rippled 
along in search of the valley below. The evening 
breeze had just strength enough to whisper among the 
branches, which acknowledged its presence by their 
gentle and graceful undulations. On every hand, the 
prospect was wide as the eye could reach. Meanwhile 
the sun sank behind the distant blue horizon ; but 
scarcely had Night begun to spread her dark mantle 
over the earth, when, ascending in the east, a broad, 
bright moon appeared, to cheer the world her Creator 
made, I felt the inspiration of the scene and the hour. 
" Surely," I exclaimed, in a transport of enthusiasm 
— " surely, when ministering spirits take their flight 
from the throne of God on errands of love to our 
guilty world, it is here they first alight ; and from this 
eminence they take a joyful survey of the magnificent 
works of the Almighty, before their sight is offended 
with a view of the vileness and impiety of man." 

It was an hour for devotion. After praising the 
name of Him whose " kingdom ruleth over all," and 
commending myself to his mercy through the merits 
of the divine Redeemer, I fell into a train of reflec- 
tions concerning the church of God. The strength of 
early impressions is wonderful. Through every period 
of our life, when we begin to meditate on divine things, 
how will the scenes of early youth, the period of our 
first strong religious excitement, present themselves 
before us in all their freshness and force, until some- 
times we can scarcely realize that they belong to " the 
days of other years " ! How often in the book of 
Psalms do we find David celebrating the loving-kind- 
ness of the Lord which visited him when young ! and 
how sweet are the lines in which Addison commem- 



A VISION. 313 



orates the goodness and mercy which crowned the 
morning of his life ! 

The scenes which now recurred to my mind were 
those of the first great western revival, which trans- 
pired when I was but a child. Those ministers whom 
we now see entering the pulpit old and gray-headed, 
were then vigorous and young ; and many others were 
then active who now " rest from their labors, and their 
works follow them." I remembered the preaching of 
Ramsay, and Lapsley, and Witherspoon. Departed 
brethren, we have not forgotten you. While your 
souls rejoice in glory, your names and your memory 
are affectionately cherished among your brethren on 
earth. Yes, I remembered the day when Joseph B. 
Lapsley stood, in the name of his Redeemer, before 
the immense congregation, while with one hand he 
pointed to Mount Sinai, wrapped in smoke, and flashing 
out the terrors of a violated law, and with the other to 
Calvary, bathed in tears, drenched with blood, and 
echoing the groans of the dying Savior. How deep 
and awful was the religious solemnity of that period 
throughout the western country ! Individuals, and 
even whole families, would travel thirty^ forty, and 
fifty miles, to attend a sacramental occasion. No house 
could contain the multitudes that convened ; but the 
people took their seats on the ground, or on logs of 
wood, in the open air ; and the minister stood before 
them, having the earth for his pulpit, and the heaven 
for his sounding-board, praying sinners, in " Christ's 
stead, to be reconciled to God." 

This extraordinary religious awakening gave rise to 
the camp-meetings of the west. The vast crowds that 
assembled found it impracticable to obtain accommoda- 
27 



314 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

tions in the neighborhood of the places of worship ; 
and as sacramental meetings were continued for four, 
five, and six days, it was found best for families at a 
distance, who wished to attend, to come in their wag- 
ons, bringing with them provisions and bedding, and 
camp on the ground. Thus the worship was con- 
tinued day and night, except during the hours necessary 
for repose. The strong religious impression of the 
time imparted its influence to all the exercises of 
public and private devotion. Ministers preached for 
eternity ! Christians prayed as if indeed they were 
entreating the Lord to redeem their souls from hell, 
and to fill the whole earth with his glory ; and when 
the congregation took up one of the songs of Zion, 
they sung as if in truth they were praising the ever- 
lasting God for sending his Son to redeem them from 
the second death, — as if in truth they were attuning 
their voices for the employments of heaven. While 
musing on this pleasing and affecting subject, the long- 
departed scene came up distinctly in the view of my 
mind, — the extended encampment, the mighty con- 
gregation assembled for evening worship. Night was 
around them ; but the darkness was dissipated by 
quantities of rich pine, piled on elevated hearths, 
which, from all sides of the encampment, sent its 
broad, bright flame on high. And I seemed once 
more to hear a thousand glad voices, animated by the 
hope of glory, chanting that delightful hymn which 
my childhood so ardently admired : — 

" Now, ' Glory to God in the highest' is given; 
Now, ' Glory to God ' is reechoed through heaven ; 
Around the whole earth let us tell the glad story, 
And sing of his love, his salvation, and glory. 



A VISION. 315 



Hallelujah to the Lamb, who has purchased our pardon ! 
We'll praise him again when we pass over Jordan. 

" O Jesus, ride on ! thy kingdom is glorious ; 
O'er sin, death, and hell thou wilt make us victorious ; 
Thy name shall be praised in the great congregation, 
And the saints shall delight in ascribing salvation. 

Hallelujah to the Lamb, who has purchased our pardon! 

We'll praise him again when we pass over Jordan. 

" Enraptured I burn with delight and desire ; 
Such love, so divine, sets my soul all on fire ; 
Around the bright throne loud hosannas are ringing : 
O, when shall I join them, and be ever singing, 

Hallelujah to the Lamb, who has purchased our pardon ! 

We'll praise him again when we pass over Jordan ? 

" When on Zion we stand, having gained the blest shore, 
With our harps in our hand, we will praise evermore ; 
We'll range the blest fields on the banks of the river, 
And sing hallelujah forever and ever. 

Hallelujah to the Lamb, who has purchased our pardon ! 

We'll praise him again when we pass over Jordan?' 

Scarcely could I refrain from attempting to join my 
voice with that of the congregation of other years, as 
these charming verses passed through my mind ; so 
strong, and so enchanting, is that power of the soul 
by which it calls up from the grave departed days of 
delight. 

At length, sleep, which refreshes our weary bodies 
and our care-worn minds, came down with its balmy 
influence ; but its dominion was soon overcome by 
notes of the most surprising and heavenly melody. 
" Shepherds of Bethlehem," thought I, " surely these 
are the delicious and ravishing strains that fell upon 
your ears when angels came down and sang the advent 
of the blessed Redeemer! " The music ceased ; but 



316 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

instantly I perceived, at a little distance, a splendid 
circle of light, so brilliant and dazzling as almost to 
overcome the powers of vision. For a moment, the 
eye could discern nothing distinctly within the lumi- 
nous space ; but presently it was easy to perceive 

" Forms, clad in peerless majesty, 
Move with unutterable grace." 

It would be vain to attempt description ; for there is 
no language understood among mortals capable of 
describing them. The heavenly lustre in which they 
are arrayed can only be told in the dialect of that 
world where they dwell. As I gazed on these celestial 
beings, I thought of the epithets applied to them 
by prophets and apostles — " Angels that excel in 
strength," " strong angels," "angels of God," "mighty 
angels," "angels of glory," "an angel having power 
over fire r " " an angel standing in the sun." I remem- 
bered, also, that the beloved disciple was so affected 
with the resplendent glory of that heavenly visitant 
that came to him in the Isle of Patmos, that he was 
once and again in danger of paying him divine adora- 
tion. "When I had heard and seen, I fell down to 
worship before the feet of the angel which showed me 
these things. Then said he unto me, See thou do it 
not ; for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren 
the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of 
this book. Worship God." 

In a little time they were seated, and the accents 
of familiar conversation were distinctly audible. On 
drawing near to hear the subject of discourse, it was 
easy to distinguish the well-known names of Raphael, 
Uriel, Abdiel, &c, &c. 



A VISION. 317 



" Raphael," said a voice of the most seraphic sweet- 
ness and harmony, " though we are all ' ministering 
spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be the 
heirs of salvation,' yet as ' there is one glory of the 
sim, and another glory of the moon, and another glory 
of the stars, and one star differeth from another in 
glory,' so among angelic minds there is a like variety 
of capacity and powers. God has said that when he 
' created all things by Jesus Christ,' it was his intention 
to make his ' manifold wisdom known to principalities 
and powers in heavenly places by the church.' Now, 
though we have all been employed in the service of 
the church, where God is unfolding his uncreated attri- 
butes, yet as our capacities are various, as our errands 
and fields of labor have often been different, it will be 
profitable and delightful should we spend a portion 
of this fine evening in familiar converse, each detail- 
ing what he has seen of the dealings of God with 
man." 

" With all my heart," said Raphael, while his deep, 
melodious tones caused me to think of 

" David's harp, of solemn sound " — 

" with all my heart ; for not only have our employ- 
ments and fields of action been various, but created 
minds being limited in their observation, no one, at 
first, sees a fact in all its bearings and relations. Even 
the holy apostles, when recording the sufferings and 
death of the Son of God, do not dwell invariably on 
the same circumstances. One instructive view of the 
great transaction is taken by Matthew, another by John, 
another by Luke, and another by Mark. It is by taking 
the united testimony of these inspired witnesses, that 
27* 



318 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

the broad, full view of that stupendous miracle of 
redeeming mercy is placed before the world." 

Seraph. Thy ministry, Raphael, has usually been 
about those saints, and in those sections, of the church 
where the light of revelation shone most clearly. 
Rehearse, then, in our hearing, what thou hast seen 
of the wonderful works of God, as displayed in the 
history of man. 

Raphael. I was often commissioned to visit the 
earthly paradise while man was innocent and holy. 
He was the admiration of angels ; for he was created 
in the image of God. Divinely constituted lord of 
this lower world, his condition was truly blessed. He 
walked abroad in immortal vigor, his beautiful partner 
by his side, arrayed in the perfection of terrestrial love- 
liness, beholding the impress of their Maker in every 
object, and holding uninterrupted fellowship and com- 
munion with the Fountain of love and joy. Smoothly 
and sweetly these hours rolled on, while their evening 
and morning anthems of praise went up as pure incense 
to heaven. I had been abroad on an appointed service, 
and returned immediately after the first transgression. 
O, it was enough to make angels weep, to behold how 
the scene was changed ! Deep gloom hung over the 
bowers of Eden. The tokens of Jehovah's presence 
were there ; but they were tokens of wrath and 
offended majesty. I looked for .the parents of the 
human race ; but they were not to be found. At 
length, stained with guilt, pale, and trembling with 
terror, I discovered them hid among the trees of the 
garden. At that moment, they were startled with the 
awful question, " Adam, where art thou ? " The 
beasts shrunk to the ground, the birds of paradise 



A VISION. 319 



screamed and fled, the trees shook, and the earth trem- 
bled at the voice of the Almighty. But — praise the 
Lord, ye heavens of heavens, and thou, eternity, be 
filled with his praise — mercy was mingled with right- 
eousness in the sentence pronounced on man. The 
great Redeemer was promised, who, in the fulness of 
time, should bring life and immortality to the ruined 
race. The sentence, however, included the death and 
dissolution of the body, and their expulsion from the 
garden the Lord had given them. Never shall I forget 
the speechless anguish that appeared in the counte- 
nance of the mother of the human family, when first 
told she must leave forever her happy home. She cast 
one troubled, despairing look over the beautiful walks, 
bright flowers, and fruits of the garden, while fast, 
fast, the bitter tears streamed over her cheeks ; then 
convulsively clinging to the arm of her husband, they 
were driven out from Eden. The cherubim took 
possession of the gate, and a flaming sword, which 
turned every way, prohibited all return. 

As redemption was promised to man, through the 
mediation of the Son of God, I took a lively interest 
in the destiny of Adam after his banishment from 
paradise. Little was then known by man or angels 
concerning the plan of redeeming love. God designed 
that light on the moral world should arise in a manner 
somewhat analogous to that of the natural day — first 
the solitary beam, struggling through the darkness ; 
then the distinctly visible dawn ; then the rising sun j 
then his upward march, " shining more and more unto 
the perfect day." But the little of revealed truth then 
made known was embraced by the parents of man- 
kind. Their faith in the promised Messiah was strong, 



320 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

though they did not fully understand the manner in 
which he would atone for sin. Though they had 
obtained pardon of God, yet they could never forgive 
themselves for having introduced sin and death into 
the world. Like Peter, in after ages, who never could 
hear a cock crow without bursting into tears at the 
remembrance of having denied his Master, so they, 
throughout their long life, when they saw among their 
descendants any case of aggravated crime, — and they 
lived to see many, — or any affecting instance of 
death, perpetually recurred to their first apostasy, and 
reproached and humbled themselves before God, for 
having brought rebellion and ruin among their chil- 
dren. Earth was to them a " vale of tears ; " but 
their sufferings were sanctified, and as the) 7- advanced 
in age, they ripened for heaven. 

There was a circumstance in the history of Adam 
that I will mention. The infirmities and frailties of 
old age are the fruits of sin. Jehovah chose that these 
should be exhibited to his children, in their fullest 
extent, in the experience of the first man. None have 
ever travelled so far down into the valley of old age 
as he ; in no other individual have the feebleness and 
frailties of exhausted strength, and worn-out powers, 
been so mournfully and so strikingly portrayed. 

Seraph. But did not Jared, Methuselah, and Noah 
live to a greater age than Adam ? 

Raphael. Counting from their birth till their death, 
they saw more years than Adam ; but, observe, in that 
day the seasons of infancy, childhood, and youth were 
long. Human beings did not arrive at full maturity 
until they were from sixty to a hundred years of age. 
Take from the life of Jared, Methuselah, or Noah, the 



A VISION. 321 



years that passed by before they came to maturity, and 
you will find that, after the age of manhood, none of 
them remained so long on earth as did their great pro- 
genitor. Adam had no infancy. His life began with 
manhood ; and, measuring from that point, his stay on 
earth was protracted many years beyond that of any 
of his sons. His death was deeply deplored by all 
his pious offspring. Long had he been their instructor 
in heavenly wisdom. Much had he told them of his 
converse with God, and with angels, before his fall ; 
but chiefly he had encouraged and urged them to hope 
for redeeming mercy, through the mediation of that 
mighty Savior Jehovah had promised to send into the 
world. When their great father expired, his pious 
descendants felt themselves a family of orphans. None 
now remained who had seen humanity in its first estate 
of holiness and bliss. All now alive upon the earth 
had commenced their existence after the world was 
involved in sin and ruin. 

Seraph. You observed, Raphael, that, in that early 
day, knowledge was very limited among the saints on 
earth, and the light they had on divine subjects was 
feeble and dim. When and how was this light in- 
creased for the greater edification and comfort of the 
people of God ? 

Raphael. About fifty years after the death of 
Adam, by the translation of Enoch. " By faith Enoch 
was translated, that he should not see death." This 
took place in a public manner, in the view of many 
of his brethren, as that of Elijah, afterwards, in the 
view of Elisha, and the ascension of Christ, in the 
view of his disciples. Thus the righteous of that age 
were assured of existence after their removal from the 



322 THE WESTERN" SKETCH-BOOK. 

earth, — a doctrine which, before this event, was not 
so satisfactorily established, — and thus, also, they 
were assured of the final deliverance of their bodies 
from Death. Before this event, many had sunk under 
his awful influence ; many in infancy, many in youth 
and middle age ; and, at last, Adam himself had gone 
down to the grave. Till now, Death had sternly 
stretched his cold sceptre over the body of every 
human being that had entered eternity. " Shall he 
reign forever over our bodies ? Shall they never be 
delivered from his tremendous sway ? " were questions 
of amazing interest among the saints ; but there was 
none to answer. Enoch is translated. At once, the 
righteous lift their heads. They see for the body, as 
well as the soul, victory over death ; that it is the 
design of God that the body, made mortal by sin, shall 
put on immortality ; and that soul and body, united 
in glory, shall dwell forever with the Lord. 

Uriel. There was another grand purpose which 
the high and holy One designed to answer by the con- 
veyance of this eminent saint, at that early day, in 
this extraordinary manner, to heaven. The angels 
were appointed " ministering spirits for the heirs of 
salvation." They all felt an eager desire to know as 
much as their Lord was pleased to reveal concerning 
the result of these long and diversified labors to which 
they were appointed. By the introduction of Enoch 
into heaven in a glorified state, body and soul united, 
the blessed One placed before all his angels a perfect 
sample of that ransomed multitude with which he 
designed to people heaven, that each might be fired to 
delightful activity in the holy employment assigned 
them. 



A VISION. 323 



I remember the morning well. We had been told 
God would that day bring one of Adam's children, in 
a new form, to associate with the sons of glory. I 
went to the portal of the heavenly city, and looked 
down towards the earth, when, far as angel's eye can 
see, I discovered the glorified saint. He was rising 
past the intervening worlds, as a radiant pillar of light, 
while the ministering angels around him appeared a 
bright rainbow of glory. Soon their hosannas were 
heard, and soon they rolled far and wide over the 
plains of eternity. The exulting spirit of Abel rushed 
forward to hail a brother redeemed from great tribula- 
tion. Cherubim and seraphim bent from their thrones 
to gaze on the wondrous specimen of glorified human- 
ity. It was a triumphant day in heaven. " The 
morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God 
shouted Amen ! Blessing, and honor, and glory, and 
power be unto Him that sitteth on the throne, and to 
the Lamb, forever and ever ! " 

Raphael. As in this age, the same gospel which 
proves a " savor of life unto life " to the penitent 
believer, is a " savor of death unto death " to the incor- 
rigible sinner, so in that day, those notable acts of 
divine Providence which deeply affected the saints 
with a sense of their obligations to duty and devotion 
were by the ungodly grossly perverted, and used as 
the occasion of more exorbitant license to sin. 

The venerable example and patriarchal authority of 
Adam long exerted a powerful restraining influence on 
mankind. This was corroborated by the faithful warn- 
ings, the eloquent and fervent public exhortations, of 
Enoch. But when the one was removed by death, 
and the other by translation, the ungodly world, freed 



324 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

from these checks, yielded to the strong impulse of 
every unholy passion, and, in the emphatic language 
of inspiration, " the wickedness of man was great in 
the earth." At first, a general spirit of worldliness 
pervaded all ranks of society. Men, 

" With impious hands, 
Rifled the bowels of their mother earth 
For treasures hid, and digged out ribs of gold." 

With the increase of wealth grew Pride, and Fashion, 
with all her train of frivolous and contemptible follies, 
and Envy, and deadly Hate. 

To this succeeded a political mania ; and many a 
brain was goaded to frenzy in attempts to invent new 
methods for the organization and management of civil 
society. Many, whose names have long since perished 
from the earth, were then " men of renown," figured 
high in the political hemisphere, were greatly admired 
by themselves, and imagined they were by others. 
The political institutions of the first great patriarchal 
governor of the human race were, a few years after 
his death, indignantly cast aside. It was contended 
that they were unfriendly to civil liberty, because they 
contained an acknowledgment of the existence and 
perfections of God, the claims of his holy law, and 
the sacredness of the Sabbath, which God gave to man 
the first day after his creation. 

Seraph. As Adam, the first patriarchal governor of 
men, acknowledged these divine truths, did no one 
charge him with aiming to obtain a religious establish- 
ment, and insist that the acknowledgment of these 
truths was but " the entering wedge " to some perfidi- 
ous and horrible scheme against the welfare of the 
community ? 



A VISION. 325 



Raphael. No such allegation was made ; for, in 
that age, the minds as well as the bodies of men were 
very vigorous. Satan was under the necessity of re- 
serving this folly, as materials for clamor and calumny 
in a more feeble-minded and stupid generation. How- 
ever, the principles of those politicians of whom I 
spoke were founded in atheism. They acted on the 
doctrine which, at a later day, the devil had the im- 
pudence to advance in the presence of the Son of 
God, viz., that all the kingdoms of the world belong 
to him. The existence of Jehovah was denied, his 
law rejected, and the Sabbath insolently trampled 
under foot. A rage for idolatry ensued ; for God, 
whose existence they had denied, and whose institu- 
tions they had insultingly spurned, " gave them up to 
strong delusions." They soon became the scourge 
and tormentors of each other. Loathsome debauchery 
and prostitution became general. Green-eyed Jealousy 
infested the family circle ; cloven-tongued Slander, 
daughter of hell, shed her " noisonu pestilence" 
through each neighborhood ; red-handed Murder, in 
broad day, walked the streets ; Theft and Rapine 
lurked in each dark lane and alley ; foul-mouthed 
Blasphemy was heard at every corner ; while villanous 
War, covered with ghastly wounds and scars, stalked 
frightfully through the land. 

" Before the palace door 
The beggar rotted, starving in his rags ; 
And on the threshold of luxurious domes 
The orphan child laid down his head, and died." 

" The world was filled with violence," till insulted 
Heaven prepared to wash the guilty generation from 

28 



326 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

the polluted face of the earth. Yet even here the 
wonderful forbearance of God was strongly manifested. 
During the long period in which the ark was preparing, 
Noah, a preacher of righteousness, was commissioned 
to warn the rebels of their approaching ruin, and 
entreat them to repent and humble themselves before 
the Lord, if peradventure his anger might be turned 
away, and their dreadful doom averted ; but his warn- 
ings by some were treated with the coldest neglect, 
while by others they were answered with scoffs, and 
taunts, and the bitterest ridicule ; yet, like infidels in 
every age, they all had their fears lest the word of God 
should prove true at last, and the scornful smile often 
covered a trembling and an aching heart. But they 
had the multitude on their side. Noah was denounced 
throughout all the country as a fanatic, a hypocrite, an 
enthusiast, a madman. His name was the jest and 
by-word of the witty, and the song of the drunkard. 

I was deeply affected with an occurrence that took 
place the evening before the deluge began. The ark 
was finished. Provisions for its destined inmates, also, 
had been laid up in store. The numerous band of 
workmen so long in Noah's employ were now dis- 
missed. As this remarkable vessel had been constructed 
on the confines of a large commercial city, the wealthy, 
the gay, and the pleasure-loving citizens resolved, «,s 
the strongest proof they could devise of their contempt 
and defiance of Noah's God, and their fearlessness of 
the threatened judgment, to treat, on that night, all the 
workmen who had been employed about the ark to 
a splendid ball, in a spacious temple near the centre 
of their city, dedicated to the worship of Belus, an 
idol afterwards known among the Chaldeans. Every 



A VISION. 327 



effort was made to have the entertainment of the most 
brilliant character, and to collect the beauty and wit 
of all the surrounding country. To show the gross- 
ness of insult to which they were capable of descend- 
ing, they sent tickets of invitation to the younger 
members of Noah's family. On that evening, the 
angels of God were engaged in bringing to the ark the 
beasts and fowls designed to be preserved alive. As 
their angelic attendants were invisible, these creatures 
seemed to the eye of man to come of their own accord 
to take shelter in the ark. A young woman, of amia- 
ble countenance, who had buried her mother but the 
day before, having been on a visit to an elder sister in 
the city, was now returning home. Her name was 
Tyresah. She had excused herself from attending 
the ball, on account of her late bereavement. She 
passed by the ark about the going down of the sun. 
It was then the dumb animals, of all classes, were 
crowding in to obtain their stations. She was shocked 
with amazement. She knew that many of them were 
wild by nature, and that this strange movement was 
perfectly miraculous. Noah was near. She called on 
him, from the window of her coach, for an explanation. 
He told her the cry of man's wickedness had gone up 
to heaven before God, and that the end of all flesh was 
at- hand. " To-morrow," said he, " God will sweep 
this guilty generation to eternity. Humble yourself 
before him ; pray for mercy to your immortal soul j 
for as the Lord liveth, there is but a step between you 
and death." Tyresah was greatly affected, and wept 
bitterly. She urged the driver to hasten home. Her 
father yet retained great bodily vigor, though his locks 
were grizzled with age. She fell on her knees before 



328 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

him, told him what she had seen, and entreated him 
to pray that God's anger might be turned away. He 
was in a transport of fury as soon as the subject was 
mentioned, uttered a volley of oaths, demanded if she 
had become a fanatic — had lost her reason — had run 
mad. " Why went you not to the party ? " She 
answered, she " could not go." He fiercely swore she 
should, called the servant to bring the carriage in- 
stantly, told her that what had alarmed her was all 
idle nonsense ; that she must go to the ball, to drive 
away melancholy, and cheer her spirits : he would 
go with her. She saw remonstrance was vain. The 
carriage came. He handed her in, then lifted a little 
son of five years old, and entered himself, bidding the 
servant to drive with all speed to the place of amuse- 
ment. I followed them, to witness the result. A gay 
multitude were assembled to spend in sinful revelry the 
night ordained to be their last. As they quaffed the 
wine, they " praised the gods of gold, of silver, of 
brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone." For some 
time, a pensive and serious air sat on the brow of the 
young and beautiful Tyresah ; but she was surrounded 
by a crowd of admirers, and Noah, and his ark, and 
the threatened deluge were the subjects of perpetual 
jest and merriment. At length, her seriousness gave 
way. It was only the effect of alarm ; for the Spirit 
of God had already forsaken the earth. Gradually 
she became gay, excessively gay, laughed at her former 
fears, and joined the infatuated company in scoffing at 
the warnings of God. I returned to the ark ; but 
often, through the night, the sounds of wild extrava- 
gant mirth and frolic were heard. They continued 
even till the break of day. 



A VISION. 329 



The morning arose brilliant and beautiful. The 
sun appeared, and smiled upon the green earth from an 
unclouded sky. No token of wrath was visible ; but 
as the report of the wild beasts and fowls entering the 
ark on the preceding evening had by this time spread 
through the city, a numerous throng, impelled by eager 
curiosity, hurried early to the place, to see this strange 
sight. At this juncture, a large and merry marriage 
party from the country drove up. They were in haste 
to reach the temple of Belus, and share in the festive 
mirth ere its close. Before the " eastern blooming 
bride " moved a superb band of lively and enchanting 
music. Surprised at finding so many of the jolly 
revellers collected here, they halted, and the music 
ceased. Noah's family were just entering the ark as 
these multitudes met before it. He himself, strongly 
impelled by compassion, paused at the door, and turned 
to give them a last address. The day of wrath, he 
assured them, was come, and would presently array 
around them all its terrors. It was now too late to 
secure their earthly lives. The death of the body was 
inevitable. " But who," said he, " can fathom the 
mercy of God ? Prostrate yourselves before him, and 
entreat that he will not destroy your souls and bodies 
in hell forever." With awful solemnity, he appealed 
to gray-headed fathers of the assembly, his acquaint- 
ances and neighbors from early youth ; but they hurled 
upon him their horrible imprecations, and madly cursed 
his God. He then turned, and began to speak to a 
crowd of children and youth that stood near. At this, 
the father of Tyresah caught up his little son, sprang 
forward, and, holding him up before the righteous man, 
bade him "curse the abominable old hypocrite — curse 
28* 



330 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

his God ! " The child attempted to stammer forth the 
hideous execrations his father dictated ; others cried, 
" Stone him with stones ! " but ere their fury could 
find weapons, I pushed him into the ark, and, accord- 
ing to my commission from above, "shut him in." 
When they saw the door closed, their madness was 
uncontrollable ; and, as if possessed by the same hell- 
ish demon, all, with one voice, exclaimed, " Set fire to 
his pitchy den ; and let him have a conflagration, 
instead of a flood." Some ran to bring fire, and others 
to collect the fagots ; but at that moment a dense, dark 
fragment of cloud eclipsed the sun,* and every star of 
heaven looked down with unwonted brightness upon 
the earth. Another moment, aud the angel of destruc- 
tion, a tall, terrible form, appeared standing on the 
tower of the temple of Belus. Shuddering horror 
seized all who saw him. Thrice he glared frightfully 
around, and thrice he flapped his sable wings over the 
quaking city. Then, with a mighty voice, such as 
earth, since her creation, had never heard, he called to 
the great deep to come forth from her storehouses. 
He called to the clouds of heaven to muster all their 
armies, and execute the vengeance of the great God. 
At his word, all the storms of the north and south 
awoke, and prepared to discharge their magazines of 
wrath upon the earth. Instantly all heaven was 
wrapped in blackness. But who may speak of the 
terror of sinners in that hour ? Some fled, they knew 
not where, in search of refuge ; others stretched their 
hands towards heaven for help, and cried to the God 
they had despised. But the day of mercy was past. 

* Fearful sights and appalling prodigies preceded the destruction 
of Jerusalem. See the accounts given by St. Luke, and by Josephus. 



A VISION. 331 



He answered their prayers in awful peals of thunder, 
and the shriek of despair was lost in the fury of con- 
tending tempests. Amidst the confusion and wild 
uproar of the convulsed and distracted elements, I 
could mark the mighty angel of destruction putting 
forth all his tremendous energies to drive the ruin on. 
He uprooted the hills, burst the rocks, and rent the 
earth, till from her deep centre the troubled waters 
spouted up, " ten thousand fathoms wide, ten thousand 
fathoms high." Nor did he wait for the heavens to 
distil their showers in the usual form, but rushed 
fiercely up, and tore the thick cloud asunder, till its 
contents were precipitated in foaming cataracts, while 
through the tortured air I perceived a ghastly cloud of 
guilty ghosts going up, blaspheming, to their last dread 
account at the bar of God. 

Innumerable buildings were prostrated, and immense 
destruction of human life effected, by the breaking up 
of the " fountains of the great deep," and the opening 
of the " windows of heaven ; " yet here and there a 
strong house still resisted the shock of the tempest, 
and braved the violence of the current, which now 
rushed with singular vehemence over the plain. From 
these issued deep groans and unavailing prayers, min- 
gled with distracted screams and bitter lamentation. 
Fragments of houses, furniture, garments, and dead 
bodies of beasts and men, were every moment drifting 
by, with, now and then, a "strong swimmer" still 
buffeting the waves and struggling for life. At length, 
the ark itself rose from its resting-place, and began to 
move with the waters. On perceiving this, the pious 
family within united their voices in a solemn hymn of 
praise and adoration to God, their Preserver. The 



332 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

direction it took was along the great street of the now 
ruined city. A huge stone building of strongest ma- 
sonry was still standing, and from within came the 
voice of wailing, lamentation, and woe ; the waves, 
already near the top of the walls, were rapidly rising 
higher and higher, as if still hungry for their prey. I 
looked till the roof was burst open from within, and 
several miserable wretches came forth and stood upon 
it, silent and shivering in the extremities of horror. 
Among these I marked the unhappy Tyresah. Her 
reason was totally dethroned ; her cheek was sunken 
and ghastly pale ; the wild, irregular glare of insanity 
shot from her eyes ; her gray-headed father held her 
by the arm, while with the other hand he sustained 
the little favorite son. The swelling waters now 
dashed quite over the roof, and rippled among their 
feet ; another surge rose to their knees ; another came 
and swept the child from the hand of the affrighted 
father. Tyresah saw him sink among the waves, and 
answered his last cry with a frenzied and fiendish 
laugh ; then turned her maniac visage, and looked full 
in her father's face, as she pointed to the ark, now 
passing near them, furiously exclaiming, " Father ! 
curse the abominable old hypocrite ! — Curse his God ! " 
He spoke not, but 

" Lively bright horror and amazing anguish 
Stared through his eyelids." 

At that instant, the strong building gave way ; the 
raging billows flashed and boiled over them, while the 
shrill tempest went howling by, his voice no longer 
interrupted by the shrieks, and wailings, and blasphemy 
of man. 



A VISION. 333 



A few there were whose destruction was more 
protracted. They attained a point of land of a great 
elevation, from whence they looked down on the 
resolute advance of the raging waters. Finding that 
prayers addressed to Heaven were unheeded and fruit- 
less, they turned their supplication to the waves, and 
wept, and wrung their hands, and besought the waters 
to stop the pursuit, and spare their lives. The waters 
were deaf and inexorable ; the angry upward march 
was continued, till the fugitives, driven to their last 
retreat, were overcome and washed into eternity. 

The dominion of Ocean was now complete. 
Earth was buried. The vast billows of the shoreless 
deep, as if flushed with victory, and proud of the wide 
range and unlimited ascendency they had obtained, 
wheeled, and tossed, and foamed, and practised their 
huge, unwieldy gambols, above the tops of the tallest 
mountains. 

Raphael paused, when all the splendid assembly 
raised an anthem of praise to the Most High. The 
sentiments were exceedingly elevated and grand. In 
the language of mortals, their song might be rendered 
thus : — 

"Loud hallelujahs to the Lord, 

From distant worlds, where creatures dwell ; 
Let heaven begin the solemn word, 
And sound it dreadful down to hell. 

" The Lord, how absolute he reigns ! 
Let every angel bend the knee ; 
Sing of his love in heavenly strains, 
And speak how fierce his terrors be. 

" The world's foundation by his hand 
Is poised, and shall forever stand ; 



334 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK 

He binds the ocean in his chain, 

Lest it should drown the earth again. 

" When earth was covered with a flood, 
Which high above the mountains stood, 
He thundered, and the ocean fled, 
And sought its own appointed bed. 

44 Let clouds, and winds, and waves agree 
To join their praise with blazing fire; 
Let the firm earth and rolling sea 
In this eternal song conspire. 

" Speak of the wonders of that love 

Which Gabriel plays on every chord ; 
From all below, and all above, 
Loud hallelujahs to the Lord." 



ANECDOTE OF IlEV. E. F. HATFIELD. 335 



ANECDOTE OF KEY. E. F. HATFIELD 



In the month of June, 1848, I labored for some 
weeks in Calloway county, Missouri. Many of the 
early settlers in that county were religious people ; and 
the ordinances of the gospel have now been sustained 
among them, with little interruption, for quite a number 
of years. About the year 1833 or '34, brother Hat- 
field, now of New York, labored among this people 
with very great success. He was with them at a sac- 
ramental meeting of five or six days' continuance. He 
preached every day. The gospel was accompanied 
with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. Chris- 
tians were revived, backsliders were reclaimed, and 
many souls were brought from the bondage of sin into 
the liberty of the children of God. During my visit, 
in 1848, I was delighted to find, that after the lapse of 
so many years, the memory of that brother, who had 
been so much blessed as the messenger of God among 
them, was still affectionately embalmed in their hearts. 
Knowing that I had been much associated with brother 
Hatfield since he left Missouri, they called on me for 
such portions of his subsequent history as were in my 
possession. Among many other facts, I gave them the 
following anecdote, which, as it was favorably received, 
I now lay before the reader. 

In the winter of 1836, the Lord poured out his 



336 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

Spirit, in a remarkable manner, on the Seventh Pres- 
byterian Church in the city of New York, of which 
brother Hatfield was then the pastor, and, indeed, of 
which he is the pastor now. The awakening was 
extensive and powerful. The number of serious inqui- 
rers was great, and soon there were many cases of 
hopeful conversion. As is usual in such an attitude 
of affairs, the tidings went abroad that the Lord had 
visited his people of the Seventh Presbyterian Church, 
and the friends of Zion in neighboring churches 
would occasionally come to weep and to rejoice with 
them. 

Brother John was pastor of a church not 

far distant. That church had been blessed, in years gone 
by, with precious revivals. Many of its most efficient 
members had been born to God in those interesting 
seasons. Such individuals, of course, when they could 
find opportunity, that is, on Sabbath afternoon or 
evening, when they felt at liberty to leave their own 
place of worship, would go to brother Hatfield's church, 
and share in the blessings of the revival. With 

brother John my acquaintance has been 

very limited. I have never had the opportunity to 
hear him " define his position " in relation to revivals. 
But it seems that his zeal did not carry him so far as 
to approve of members going from his own church in 
order to witness the progress of a revival in another. 
And yet, from Sabbath to Sabbath, as he appeared in 
the pulpit to address his people, empty pews, with 
alarming frequency, were yawning in every quarter of 
the church, and the evil was evidently on the increase. 
Brother John determined that the offenders should 
meet with speedy rebuke. Accordingly, one Sabbath 



ANECDOTE OF REV. E. F. HATFIELD. 337 

morning, when they were mostly in their pews, at 
their own church, brother John arose in the pulpit. 
Perhaps it could scarcely be said, as in the case of 
Goldsmith's village schoolmaster, 

"Well had the boding tremblers learned to trace 
The day's disasters in his morning face." 

But when he announced his text, they began to look 
one upon another. His text was Matt. xi. 8 : " What 
went ye out for to see ? " This text he repeated, look- 
ing earnestly, now on one part of the congregation, 
and now on another. As he fixed his eyes on those 
on the right hand of the pulpit, — and a number of the 
delinquents were there, — he demanded, " What went ye 
out for to see ? " Then turning to those on the left 
hand, he repeated, " What went ye out for to see ? " 
And then the assembly in front were addressed, " What 
went ye out for to see ? " The preacher, (I pretend 
not to give his identical words, but the substance, 
merely,) according to the good old custom, raised from 
the text an important doctrine, to wit : That when he 
preached in that pulpit, there was no propriety in those 
who ought to attend his church, going to hear or see 
what might be transacting in other churches. " What 
went ye out for to see ? " 

Brother John maintained that any departure from the 
above doctrine was unauthorized : 1. By Scripture ; 
2. By the confession of faith; and 3. By the Catechisms, 
both the Larger and the Shorter. And to many of his 
hearers the sermon abounded in " striking " remarks. 
It was not long, however, until there came one that 
had " escaped," and told brother Hatfield. On the 
Sabbath afternoon, therefore, when many of the same 
29 



338 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

persons were present, of whom it had been demanded, 
" What went ye out for to see ? " brother Hatfield 
arose in his pulpit, and announced his text : " Go 
and show John again those things which ye do hear 
and see : the blind receive their sight, and the lame 
walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the 
dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel 
preached to them. And blessed is he whosoever 
shall not be offended in me." (Matt. xi. 5, 6.) 



A friend desires to be informed of the difference 
between Calvinism and the Fatalism maintained by 
Mahometans. I answer, Fatalism teaches that all 
things are governed by blind, undesigning fate — 
atheism asserts that all things are the sport of blind 
chance and contingency. The Bible teaches that "all 
things are of God." On this holy ground Calvinism 
plants her standard, distant alike from the two extremes 
of blind fate and blind contingence, (Truth lies in the 
middle,) and rejoices, with joy unspeakable, that an 
infinitely intelligent and benevolent Being, for his 
own glory and the greatest good, " works all things 
after the counsel of his own will." 



THE MISSISSIPPI JUDGE. 339 



THE MISSISSIPPI JUDGE. 



In the month of February, 1839, I was riding, in com- 
pany with a Mississippi judge, along the bank of the 
great river which gives its name to the state in which 
he resided. Said he, " There are some portions of the 
Bible that are very difficult to be understood, and re- 
quire, I should think, a great deal of explanation." 

" Mention, if you please, some of the passages to 
which you refer." 

" Well," said the judge, " one of them is found in 
the writings of Solomon, where he says, ' Cast thy 
bread upon the waters ; for thou shalt find it after 
many days.' Now, suppose a man should cast his 
bread on the Mississippi River, — would he ever find 
it again ? " 

" The text you have quoted, judge, is the first verse 
of the eleventh chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes. 
It is a beautiful text, and teaches a great lesson. You 
must observe, that in the sacred Scriptures that is often 
called bread out of which bread is made, — bread-corn, 
for example ; because out of it bread is manufactured. 
Thus we read, that in the days of Joseph ' the dearth 
was in all lands ; but in all the land of Egypt there 
was bread.' That is, there was bread-corn there, out 
of which bread could be made. Now, Egypt was the 
most famous of all the ancient countries for the pro- 



340 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

duction of bread. Very soon after Abraham came first 
into Canaan, ' there was a famine in the land ; and 
Abram went down into Egypt, to sojourn there.' 
(Gen. xii. 10.) Again, in the days of Isaac, ' there 
was a famine in the land ; and the Lord appeared unto 
him, and said, Go down into Egypt.' (Gen. xxvi. 1, 2.) 
In like manner, Jacob was driven by famine into Egypt. 
Egypt was the storehouse of bread to the ancient 
world, and continued so, in fact, until the time of the 
Roman empire. The ship in which Paul sailed to 
Rome was bound from Alexandria, in Egypt, to Rome, 
loaded with bread-corn ; for when the storm came 
upon them, you read that ' they lightened the ship, 
and cast out the wheat into the sea.' Now, Egypt 
being thus famous for the production of bread, and 
Israel having sojourned there during so many years, 
it is not strange that Egyptian scenery should mingle 
with the Bible language on this subject. The unpar- 
alleled fertility of Egypt was owing to the annual 
overflowing of the Nile. At a certain season, every 
year, immense tracts of the level country were entirely 
inundated. When the water was about receding, the 
husbandman would take his seed-corn, and sow it over 
these wide fields. The grain would fall on the face 
of the water, and sink down into the soft loam that 
was just below. Presently the water was gone ; and 
that grain, cast thus upon the waters, would spring up, 
and yield an abundant harvest. 

" Now, the command is, To you who have wealth, 
disperse it abroad among the poor and needy. Do not 
aim to consume it all yourself, but appropriate a portion 
of it, as the wise husbandman appropriates a portion of 
his bread-corn when he uses it for seed, and you, 



THE MISSISSIPPI JUDGE. 341 

also, in clue time, shall enjoy an abundant harvest. 
' Oast thy bread upon the waters ; for thou shalt find 
it after many days.' " 

" That is, indeed, an instructive and valuable lesson," 
said the judge, "and beautifully inculcated. And now 
I am encouraged to mention another text which I have 
not been able satisfactorily to understand." 

" I shall be gratified to hear you." 

" The text to which I now refer," continued the 
judge, " is found in Rev. xiv. 13 : ' And I heard a 
voice from heaven, saying unto me, Write, Blessed are 
the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth : yea, 
saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors j 
and their works do follow them.' The difficulty in my 
mind is with the words, ' from henceforth ' — ' Blessed 
are the dead that die in the Lord from henceforth.' 
Have not the dead, in every age, who have died in the 
Lord, been blessed ? Were not those blessed who 
died in the Lord in the time of Abel and of Noah ? 
Were not those who died in the Lord blessed in 
the days of Abraham, and Joseph, and Moses ? In 
short, has there ever been a period when those were 
not blessed who have died in the Lord ? What, then, 
can be the meaning of the words 'from henceforth'?" 

" You must observe, judge, that the book of Reve- 
lation contains a prophetic history of the church, from 
the apostolic age until the end of the world. The 
Scriptures clearly teach, that while we are justified 
before God only for the sake of Christ, and our own 
obedience is entitled to nothing on the score of merit, 
yet the Lord graciously rewards his people according 
to their works ; and this is held up before the church 
as a motive why we should ' always abound in the 
29* 



342 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

work of the Lord.' Now, in the present day, the plain 
Christian has an opportunity of accomplishing much 
more in the vineyard of Christ than could have been 
accomplished with the same means five hundred years 
ago. Suppose your lot had been cast in the world as 
early as the thirteenth century, and that you had then 
set your heart on doing good to men by circulating the 
word of God. At that period, the art of printing was 
unknown ; and one copy of the Bible in England cost 
the sum of thirty pounds sterling, — that is, about one 
hundred and forty-five dollars of our money. Now, 
for the cost of one Bible at that time, you can at this 
day put in circulation more than five hundred copies. 
The same principle will apply to other good books, and 
to religious tracts. How great, then, are the facilities 
for doing good which have come up in divine provi- 
dence, and are within the reach of those who live in 
the present age ! These facilities extend to other de- 
partments of Christian enterprise, as Sabbath schools, 
missions, &c. It may be affirmed that additional value 
is given to time, and additional value is given to health, 
and to influence, when such precious opportunities of 
' abounding in the work of the Lord ' are brought even 
to our door. We live in an age which 

' Prophets and kings desired to see, 
But died without the sight.' 

"Now, the book of Revelation contains a prophetic 
view of the progress of the church, from the apostolic 
day until the end of time. ' The Lamb in the midst 
of the throne ' has taken the book of God's eternal 
counsels, and as he opens seal after seal, the future 
condition of the church rises to view. Age after age 



THE MISSISSIPPI JUDGE. 343 

of trial, perplexity, and persecution passes by — periods 
in which the church, like Noah surrounded by the 
wreck and desolations of the deluge, finds that the 
utmost that she can do is to ' remain alive.' (Gen. vii. 
23.) But the opening of the seals goes on. Page after 
page of futurity rises in sight ; when, behold, a day 
appears, in which the iron rod of persecution is broken, 
and the church is free. The light of divine truth 
shines clearly, and Zion's King 'walks in the midst of 
the golden candlesticks.' The minister of the gospel 
is blessed in his labors. His preaching is accompanied 
with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. The 
members of the church find that the vineyard of God 
furnishes to each the opportunity of becoming a suc- 
cessful and honored laborer. One can circulate Bibles 
by the thousand ; another rejoices in the Sabbath school 
enterprise, and sees how he can benefit immortal souls, 
and lay up treasure in heaven ; another beholds the 
missionary field opening to him a prospect full of im- 
mortality. Every child of God discovers that ' the time 
to favor Zion, yea, the set time, is come,' and that now 
he has before him an open door for the wise and happy 
employment of health, time, influence, wealth, every 
talent that he possesses, for the glory of God and the 
everlasting good of his kingdom. Is it strange that at 
the dawn of such a day of salvation in the apostle's 
vision, he should record the passage under considera- 
tion ? — 'And I heard a voice from heaven, saying unto 
me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord 
from henceforth : yea, saith the Spirit, that they may 
rest from their labors ; and their works do follow 
them.' " 

"Very satisfactory," said the judge. "And what 



344 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

rich and delightful meaning the text possesses when 
viewed in that light ! But as you speak of the unpre- 
cedented circulation of the Bible among all people at 
this day, allow me to ask, is this great movement of 
the church noticed in any of the predictions of the 
ancient prophets? " 

" Certainly, judge ; it is noticed very particularly by 
the prophet Isaiah, in the third verse of the second chap- 
ter of his book : * Out of Zion shall go forth the law and 
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.' Zion and Jeru- 
salem are well-known titles of the visible church. The 
word of the Lord, his law, and his gospel shall go forth, 
and a glorious moral revolution shall ensue. Hear the 
prophet specify the particulars : ' The Lord's house 
shall be established in the top of the mountains, and 
exalted above the hills.' That is, the worship and the 
service of God shall stand higher in the estimation of 
men than every earthly interest. Higher than politics, 
higher than commerce, higher than agriculture, the 
Lord's house shall be established in the top of the 
mountains, and exalted above the hills, and all nations 
shall flow unto it. c And many people shall go and 
say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the 
Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob ; and he will 
teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths. 
And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke 
many people ; and they shall beat their swords into 
ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks : 
nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither 
shall they learn war any more.' " 

" That is, indeed," answered the judge, " a very 
notable prediction of the universal circulation of the 
Bible in the latter day, and of the happy results that 



THE MISSISSIPPI JUDGE. 345 

shall follow. I have one question more. Perhaps you 
will smile when I mention it. Is there any prediction 
of railroad travelling and steam cars, in the Bible ? " 

" Prophecy was not given merely to entertain or 
gratify our curiosity. ' All Scripture is given by inspi- 
ration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for re- 
proof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.' 
And yet, in answer to your question, the student of 
the Bible, when he beholds the long trains of railroad 
cars, each bearing six or eight hundred passengers, 
darting by each other with the speed of birds on the 
wing, is forcibly reminded of the prophecy of Daniel 
xii. 4 : l Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge 
shall be increased.' In the book of Nahum, chap. ii. 
verse 4, there is this remarkable passage : ' The chariots 
shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against 
another in the broad ways : they shall seem like torches, 
they shall run like the lightnings? Who that has 
travelled in these conveyances has not felt them ' justle 
one against another in the broad ways ' ? and who that 
has looked on the fiery horses, speeding on their way 
in the night, could not say, ' they seem like torches, 
they run like lightning ' ? 

"Well," said the judge, "the word of God is now 
to me a source of great delight. But O, I lived many 
years in sin. I am astonished when I review the stu- 
pidity and blindness of my former life. I lived more 
than forty years anxious for the world, and careful 
about my reputation. But in all that forty years, I 
had not spent one half hour in trying to please God. 
My Creator, my Redeemer, were wholly forgotten and 
neglected. When my mind was roused to look at the 
awful fact, I could scarcely live under the thought. I 



346 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

went directly to our minister, and asked him to give 
me the earliest opportunity of coming before the 
church and the congregation, and confessing my shame 
and sorrow that I had so long denied Christ before 
men, and neglected the great salvation." 



GIDEON BLACKBURN. 347 



RECOLLECTIONS OF GIDEON 
BLACKBURN. 



Gideon Blackburn was in the prime of life at that period 
when the great revival of 1800 visited the population 
of the western country. He had been preaching, it is 
true, quite a number of years — how many I do not 
exactly know — before the commencement of that 
extraordinary visitation from on high ; but the portion 
of time embraced between the years 1800 and 1830 
may be put down as the meridian of his ministry. 
Most of the great events of his life appear to have 
occurred between those dates ; while it should be borne 
in mind, that both the morning and the evening of his 
days were crowned with varied and extensive useful- 
ness. A full and faithful record of the great, and good 
results of his long and laborious life would fill the 
pages of a very voluminous work. A mere sketch of 
a few important facts is all that will here be attempted. 
1. His Creator had bestowed upon him an exceed- 
ingly fine person. He was rather above the middle 
size, and well proportioned. His form was that which 
unites strength and activity in a very high degree. 
Thus it was that the " Lord of the harvest " had evi- 
dently fitted him for the important part he was designed 
to act in the great field where his lot was cast. The 



348 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

exposure he was called to endure, together with the 
arduous and multiplied labors that devolved upon him, 
must have soon crushed a man of ordinary constitution. 
But to him the promise was made good, " As thy days, 
so shall thy strength be." While as yet the country 
was very new, no regular roads established, and the 
rivers in general without ferries, he traversed almost 
every part of the great west where settlements had 
been formed. He penetrated the canebrakes, he trav- 
elled through the wilderness, he swam the rivers, 
"always abounding in the work of the Lord." In 
very many of the newly-formed neighborhoods, he was 
the first to set up the standard of his divine Master. 
Should you now visit Knoxville, Nashville, Gallatin, 
Huntsville, Cincinnati, Louisville, or almost any of the 
prominent cities of the west, and inquire of the aged 
people concerning the state of the church at the period 
of their first recollections, you will hear the name of 
Gideon Blackburn pronounced, with a frequency and 
a fervor of enthusiasm which show how intimately his 
life and labors are interwoven with the early religious 
history of those sections of our country. 

2. He had a singularly captivating countenance, in 
which benignity and authority were delightfully 
blended. When he arose in the house of God, and 
cast over the assembly that benevolent and command- 
ing look, every human being in the congregation felt 
the power of his presence. His voice was musical and 
attractive to an extent that enabled him at once to seize 
the attention of any company or crowd which he under- 
took to address. In the court-yard, or in the market- 
house, on the public square, or on the crowded wharf, 
wherever the tones of his remarkable voice reached the 



GIDEON BLACKBURN. 349 

ear, and his graceful and impressive attitude caught the 
eye, the multitude was instantly reduced to silence and 
attention. 

The venerable Dr. Griffin has remarked, that in 
attempting to promote religion among the careless and 
the ungodly, the first great object at which we should 
aim is, to secure "attention " to the gospel. There is 
no doubt that a leading instrumentality in that im- 
mense success which attended the preaching of Gideon 
Blackburn, is to be found in that extraordinary power, 
with which he was endowed by his Creator, for arrest- 
ing the attention of men. Sinners would press near to 
him in crowds, and while they were melted into tears, 
they wished those overwhelming addresses to continue. 
They were reluctant to have the meeting close, and 
the opportunity pass away : even children would de- 
signedly throw themselves in his way, that he might 
say a word to them concerning the salvation of their 
souls. I remember, distinctly, when he had spent a 
night at my father's house, and was about to depart in 
the morning, that I, though then very young, went 
out and took his horse by the bridle, and stood there 
till he came. There was no need for me there at the 
horse's bridle ; but it was my wish to throw myself in 
the good man's way, that he might speak to me of the 
great salvation. He did speak ; and not only the sub- 
stance of what he then said, but the very words in 
which it was expressed, are indelibly engraven on the 
tablet of my heart. 

There was something in Blackburn's manner of 
preaching, that fastened his text, for life, on the mem- 
ory of his hearers. You will mark this peculiarity when- 
ever you hear the old people, at this day, speak of his 
30 



350 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

preaching ; and one will say, "I heard Blackburn preach 
at Knoxville, in the year 1805, on this text, (Ex. xii. 
30 : ) ' And there was a great cry in Egypt : for there 
was not a house w T here there was not one dead.' " 
Another will say, " I shall never forget the sermon 
which he preached at Maryville, in 1807, on the text, 
(Ex. xiv. 15,) ■ Speak to the children of Israel, that 
they go forward.' " A third will speak up, " I heard him 
at Nashville, in 1810, and his text was, (John i. 14,) 
' And the word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, 
and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only be- 
gotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.' " On my 
arrival in Boston, May, 1849, I found venerable old 
deacons who spoke with the warmest interest of the 
preaching of Blackburn in Boston, as early as the year 
1802 or 3, when evangelical religion in Boston was very 
low. And I was delighted to find that these old men 
could yet repeat the texts on which those discourses 
were founded, that so much encouraged and revived 
the people of God. At Ipswich, in Massachusetts, I 
was addressed thus by a man advanced in years : — 

" You are from the west ? " 

" Yes, sir." 

" Well, I heard a man from your country preach, 
many years ago. His name was Blackburn. I shall 
never forget that sermon. His text was, ' The tree of 
life, that bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her 
fruit every month : and the leaves of the tree were for 
the healing of the nations.' " (Rev. xxii. 2.) 

I know no reason for the texts on which he preached 
being so accurately and so long remembered, except 
that his preaching abounded in exposition of the sacred 
text. His aim was, to place the truth, the beauty, the 



GIDEON BLACKBURN. 351 

grandeur of God's word, in a clear and forcible light 
before his audience ; and this he accomplished so suc- 
cessfully, that an impression was made on the minds 
of his hearers, which could never be effaced. 

3. A strong and unwavering confidence in God was 
another characteristic of Gideon Blackburn. For this 
he was remarkable when young, and this he retained 
through all the multiplied vicissitudes of his checkered 
and eventful life. He had the care of a large family, 
when the west was a wilderness, and when provision 
for the support of a minister's family was a thing 
scarcely known ; yet, by his remarkable industry, and 
his firm reliance on the promises of a covenant-keeping 
God, he was enabled to bring up and educate that 
family, so that its members became a blessing to the 
church, and a blessing to the world. All his children 
who attained maturity made an early consecration of 
themselves to God in the gospel. Two of his sons 
became useful ministers. They are now gone from 
earth. All the surviving members of the family are 
adorning the gospel which their father preached, by an 
irreproachable and consistent walk and conversation. 
How should our hearts rise in gratitude to God, when 
he sets the seal of his divine approbation to the life 
and labors of a self-denying minister, by crowning 
with blessings from above his children, and his chil- 
dren's children ! I have repeatedly visited the family 
of Gideon Blackburn since he has been called to " go 
up higher " in the temple of God. I have looked 
upon his aged widow. I have looked upon his surviv- 
ing children and grandchildren ; and I have been 
pleasingly reminded of that precious promise which the 
" God of glory " gave to Abraham, " the father of the 



352 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

faithful," — " 1 will bless thee, and thou shalt be a 
blessing." 

The venerable Dr. Clellancl, of Kentucky, gave 
me this anecdote of a little grandchild of Gideon 
Blackburn. At a sacramental meeting in Woodford 
county, Kentucky, when the elders of the church had 
met to converse with those who were desirous of unit- 
ing with the body of professed Christians, among other 
candidates was a very small girl. She was a grand- 
daughter of Blackburn. Her apparent age was not 
more than six or seven years. Blackburn was modera- 
tor of the session, and conducted the examination. 
When the turn of this little girl came, her answers 
were most satisfactory. Her profession of repentance 
for sin was distinct and clear ; and her love to Christ, 
and her trust in him for pardon and salvation, were 
expressed in the most appropriate and decided terms. 
But she was so little : that was all the difficulty. 
Others were received into the communion of the 
church ; but she was advised to wait longer. After 
some five or six months, another communion season 
came round. The session met. Blackburn again was 
moderator. A number of applicants appeared, and 
among them this same little girl — clear, decided, firm 
in her attachment to Christ and his cause, but still very 
small. Again she was advised to wait. Some months 
afterwards, when she had made her third application, 
with a similar result, she lifted up her little eyes, swim- 
ming with tears, and said, " Grandfather, how old 
must I be before I can love the Savior ? " 

It should here be remarked, that Blackburn's views 
of early piety were scriptural and unwavering ; but 
there is often unbelief in the church, that cramps the 



GIDEON BLACKBURN. 353 



minister ; and this being his own grandchild, he 
thought it not best to take that stand which he would 
have taken in the case of another. The early history 
of this little girl is an instance of the blessing which 
crowned this good man's family. 

. 4. Gideon Blackburn was distinguished by zeal for 
the advancement of the gospel, and for the salvation 
of men. In the early part of his ministry, there was 
little or no support provided by the church for the 
family of a minister. Like the apostle Paul, Black- 
burn labored with his own hands for the supply of the 
temporal wants of his family, while he kept the banner 
of the Redeemer constantly unfurled. I have heard 
his neighbors tell how he would maul two hundred 
rails in the fore part of the day, and then mount his 
horse, and ride twelve or fifteen miles, and preach the 
gospel to some little assembly of plain people in the 
evening. Sometimes he labored on a farm, some- 
times he taught school, to sustain a dependent family ; 
but the fire of divine love burned continually on the 
altar of his heart, and the " trumpet of the gospel " 
was ever at his mouth ; and verily, when blown by 
him, it gave no '-uncertain sound." When, at the age 
of eight or nine years, I sat under his ministry, and 
felt the impressiveness and power of his awful appeals, 
repeatedly was I reminded of the record that is given 
of the preaching of his divine Master — " The people 
were astonished at his doctrine ; for he taught them as 
one having authority, and not as the scribes." (Matt. 
vii. 28, 29.) I distinctly remember a conversation 
among some intelligent Virginians, after they had at- 
tended one of Blackburn's overwhelming discourses. 
They spoke of the preaching of the celebrated William 
30* 



354 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

Graham, so long and so extensively a blessing to the 
churches in Virginia. They spoke of the preaching 
of James Waddell, the noted blind preacher. Some of 
their number had sat under the ministry of both of 
these distinguished men ; and after commending these 
favored servants of God in very exalted terms, their 
conversation was directed to Blackburn, to whose dis- 
course they had just been attending ; and one then 
made an observation which I shall remember to the 
close of life. Speaking of Blackburn, he said, " Indeed, 
he is the great Elijah of our day." 

Beyond a doubt, if future generations receive an 
accurate history of our country, Gideon Blackburn will 
be regarded as the early " apostle of the west." I 
have no hesitation in pronouncing, that Isaac Anderson. 
John McCampbell, David Nelson, and many others who 
have risen to great usefulness and distinction in the 
church of God, were much aided and blessed, in the 
commencement of their ministry, by the beams that 
streamed forth from that " burning and shining light " 
which a gracious God had kindled up in the heart of 
the west, in the very morning of its Christian history. 
-And, with ample justice to all the excellent men that 
have since appeared, — the Joshuas, the Samuels, and 
the Nathans that have blessed the western church at a 
later day, — I may apply to this subject the words of 
inspiration — " There arose not a prophet since in 
Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to 
face." 

In conclusion, I must record two notable illustrations 
of the zeal of Blackburn in his Master's service. The 
first is the case of John Glocester, a colored man, and 
a slave. In the revival of 1800, John was a convert. 



GIDEON BLACKBURN. 355 

Pious slaves often took part in the prayer meetings of 
those days. John was very able and edifying in his 
prayers. Blackburn heard John offer up a prayer in 
more instances than one. He also heard some of his 
attempts at exhortation ; and he concluded that if John 
had his liberty, and were properly educated, he might 
be useful as a preacher of the gospel, especially among 
his own people. " Immediately he conferred not with 
flesh and blood." His maxim was, " Whatever ought 
to be done can be done." Soon John Glocester had 
his liberty. In due time, he received a respectable 
education, and became an ordained minister. His 
career was one of eminent usefulness. In a few years, 
he settled in the city of Philadelphia, and collected a 
church of colored people. In the year 1819, when I 
first attended the General Assembly of the Presby- 
terian church, I found John Glocester in Philadelphia, 
at the head of a large and respectable African church. 
I attended a communion season with them. The 
communicants were in number about two hundred and 
fifty : and, on the same day, eleven well-dressed colored 
infants were brought before the congregation, and 
solemnly dedicated to God in the ordinance of baptism. 
I was deeply affected by this tender and impressive 
scene. There was much of the venerable and the 
apostolic about John Glocester. He possessed in the 
pulpit extraordinary eloquence and power. He has 
long since gone to his reward. 

The other example of enlightened zeal to which I 
referred, is found in the efforts of Blackburn in the 
cause of foreign missions. Long before the American 
Board, or the General Assembly's Board, was formed, 
or thought of, this man of prodigious, heaven-born en- 



356 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

terprise had planted Christian schools at a number of 
important points among the Indians on the south side 
of the Tennessee River. Although the cry for his 
labors came up from every quarter of the American 
settlements that were then forming in the west, yet, in 
the ardor of his flaming zeal, he would cross the great 
river, and, by the aid of an interpreter, tell to listening 
and weeping multitudes of copper-colored savages the 
story of God's wondrous love to sinful man, and how 
the beloved Son of God agonized in Gethsemane, and 
suffered on the cross, that our souls might be redeemed 
from death. These early missionary efforts were 
warmly sanctioned by Return J. Meigs, Indian agent 
of the general government at that period. The schools 
were afterwards patronized by the general assembly of 
the Presbyterian church. It is believed that much 
good was accomplished ; but the entire results can only 
be known when the books are opened in the great day. 
Rev. Charles Coffin, D. D., who was a disciple of 
Dr. Samuel Spring, of Newburyport, Mass., gave me 
the following anecdote of Blackburn : When quite a 
young man, he was travelling in one of the Atlantic 
states. He had been desired by some of the people of 
a certain village or town to preach them a sermon. He 
consented, and when he was able to fix on the time, he 
sent an appointment to the place, never dreaming but 
that it would be acceptable to the resident minister, 
should there be one, that the people should hear the 
gospel from the lips of another witness of Jesus, as 
well as from himself. Blackburn himself had much of 
the spirit manifested by Moses, when Eldad and Medad 
prophesied in the camp, and a young man came and 
said, " My lord Moses, forbid them." And Moses said, 



GIDEON BLACKBURN. 357 

" Enviest thou for my sake ? Would God that all the 
Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would 
put his spirit upon them." (Num. xi. 29.) Such was 
the spirit of Moses ; but not so was it with the presiding 
genius of the village above mentioned. He seemed 
rather to be animated by the spirit of Daniel's ram, 
which the prophet so graphically describes, (Dan. viii. 
4:) " I saw the ram pushing westward, and north- 
ward, and southward, so that no beast might stand 
before him." This man received Blackburn's note, 
but refused to make the appointment. Blackburn came 
at the specified time, and learning that the minister had 
refused to give publicity to his appointment, he went 
to his house and inquired for the facts of the case. 
The minister attempted to be very dry, distant, digni- 
fied, and told him that he was not willing that he 
should preach to the people at that place, and therefore 
he had refused to make any appointment. It must be 
borne in mind that Blackburn's person was remarkable 
for elegance and gracefulness, and that he had a pres- 
ence of peculiar solemnity and power. As soon as he 
was told how his proposal to preach had been rejected, 
he arose and stood for several seconds in the most sol- 
emn attitude, right in front of the now fluttered and 
agitated man of dignity. " Sir," said he, " I have a 
very painful duty to perform, but it is imperatively 
enjoined by my Lord and Master. When he sent forth 
his disciples to preach the everlasting gospel to dying 
men, he laid upon them this command : ' Whosoever 
will not receive you, nor hear your words, shake off 
the dust of your feet for a testimony against them.' 
Sir, as a rejected minister of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
I shake off the dust of my feet for a testimony 



358 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

against you ! " As he thus spoke, he extended, in his 
own impressive manner, the right foot, and shook it 
with a deliberate solemnity that was awful. He then 
extended the left foot, and shook it in like manner ; 
then turning entirely away, he left the important 
" place man " to his own meditations. This minister's 
name was Flint. " Sir," said Dr. Coffin, when he 
told me the story, " Flint as he was, the performance 
of this awful duty by Gideon Blackburn made him 
turn as white as ashes." 



CAMP MEETINGS. 359 



CAMP MEETINGS 



The origin of camp meetings in the United States 
was among the members of the Presbyterian church. 
They were first held in Logan county, Kentucky, 
during the revival of 1800. The multitudes which 
came together were so great, that accommodations 
could not be found in the neighborhood of the place 
of worship. Many of these people had recently re- 
moved to the west from Virginia, North Carolina, or 
Pennsylvania. On the road, while they were removing, 
they had camped out, and cooked their own provisions, 
and provided their own lodgings. The idea originated 
among them, during the great revival, that they could 
camp out near the place of worship, and take care of 
themselves, as well as they had done on the road, while 
on their journey. The experiment succeeded admira- 
bly. The country being new, this mode of holding 
large meetings seemed peculiarly adapted to their cir- 
cumstances. Indeed, it was believed to possess a 
striking resemblance to the " feast of tabernacles " in 
the Old Testament church. Moreover, these meetings 
were crowned with precious divine blessings. Among 
the Presbyterians of the west and south, also the Meth- 
odists, the Baptists, the Cumberland Presbyterians, and 
other denominations, such meetings have been held, 
with great and good results. In many parts of the west 



360 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

and south, they have now worshipped in this manner, 
occasionally, for the space of fifty years. During that 
extensive and powerful revival in the state of Ohio, 
from 1828 till 1831, quite a number of camp meetings 
were held, at which many thousands assembled to wor- 
ship God. One of the ministers engaged in these 
meetings spoke on the subject thus : — 

" The camp meetings in Ohio were not undertaken 
without much serious and prayerful deliberation. The 
ministers of Jesus Christ in that country saw, with 
much concern, an immense population spreading over 
the land, while the regular preaching of the gospel 
was neglected by at least two thirds of this living mul- 
titude. They also saw a deep, dark, blaspheming 
infidelity, rolling far and wide through the country, 
scoffing at the Bible, cursing religious tracts, tram- 
pling on the Sabbath, and breathing out bitterness 
against all that is sacred. They saw that if the 
deadly pestilence was suffered to spread and extend 
its pernicious influence a few years longer, not only 
would our religious institutions be destroyed, but our 
civil liberties would be jeopardized ; the monster would 
break down our churches, set up the guillotine, and dip 
its hands in the blood of the innocent, as deep as did 
the infidels of France during the ' Reign of Terror.' 
They felt that something must be done to arrest the 
conquests of the enemy, who was ' coming in like a 
flood ; ' and the only weapon with which they could 
successfully oppose him, was l the sword of the Spirit, 
which is the word of God.' And as the multitudes, 
among whom the plague was raging, could not be 
assembled in the regular houses of worship, the l sol- 
diers of the cross ' resolved to take the field ' in the 



CAMP MEETINGS. 361 

name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of 
Israel.' Preparations were made, seats in a shady grove 
sufficient to accommodate a vast assembly, and a i pul- 
pit of wood,' erected. The day appointed arrived, 
1 and all the people came out by hundreds and by 
thousands.' It was a season * of the right hand of the 
Most High.' The tide of war was rolled back from 
the gates of Zion, and trembling was in the camp of 
the enemy. The infidel renounced his blasphemy ; 
the Universalist fled from his refuge of lies ; the gray- 
headed sinner cast himself at the feet of the Savior ; 
and infant voices were heard proclaiming, ' Hosarma to 
the Son of David ! Blessed is the King that cometh in 
the name of the Lord ! ' 

" Meeting after meeting of this description was held. 
The everlasting gospel was preached, the blessing of 
God sent down, sinners converted, the church made 
glad, and heaven filled with rejoicing." 

" Look at the example of our blessed Savior. He 
might have preached every Sabbath in the Jewish 
synagogue, if he had chosen ; but he did not. On 
one Sabbath, he preached in the temple ; on another, 
he preached on a mountain ; at another time, he en- 
tered a boat, and thrust out a little from the shore, and 
taught the people from thence ; at times, we find him 
in the wilderness, or in the grove, surrounded by many 
thousands, who had nothing better to sit on than the 
green grass. Nor did these crowds come out in the 
morning from their homes, and return the same even- 
ing ; but they continued together day after day, to 
hear the Savior's words. At one time, we learn that 
they continued with him three days, where they had 
nothing to eat ; and how much longer they continued 
31 



362 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

on other occasions, when they had made better prepa- 
rations, we are not told. I have no doubt, that while 
the Savior designed the miracles that he wrought to 
confirm his divine mission in the view of all inquirers, 
he, at the same time, designed those miracles to wake 
up the public mind, and excite attention, that the people 
might come together, that he might have an oppor- 
tunity of preaching to them the word of God. Ac- 
cordingly, we find, when he began his wonderful 
works, ■ that ' his fame went throughout all Syria. 
And there followed him great multitudes of people 
from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, 
and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan.' The im- 
mense results of the Savior's ministry to these vast 
congregations are amongst the things that < are not 
written ' in the New Testament ; but, doubtless, the 
disclosures of the great day will show that they were 
worthy of the time and labor thus devoted. 

" Now, if we wish all the inhabitants of our land to 
feel the blessed influences of the gospel, we must be 
willing, after the example of our Savior, to bring vast 
multitudes together, and let them remain together day 
after day, and preach to them the word of life. This 
must be done, this will be done, before all flesh sees 
the salvation of God. 

" In this age of benevolent effort, Christians and 
Christian ministers are doing much to push forward the 
tract cause, the Bible cause, the Sunday school cause, 
&c. ; but we have not made corresponding efforts to 
push forward the preaching cause, and yet it is by the 
foolishness of preaching that God is pleased to save 
them that believe. While we have been solicitous to 
prepare the way for the salvation of the rising genera- 



CAMP MEETINGS 363 

tion by Sabbath schools, and the education of suitable 
young men for the ministry, have we done as much 
for the present generation as we ought? Have we 
employed the ministers now in the field to the best 
advantage ? Without slacking the hand in any other 
good work, can we not make a more vigorous effort to 
save the present generation, who are past the period 
for Sabbath schools, and who must die, many of them, 
before the young men now in a course of education 
can enter the field ? Yes, let a great effort be made to 
save the present generation." 

CAMP MEETING ANECDOTE. 

Great care was taken to preserve good order among 
the thousands that came together at our camp meet- 
ings. This was essential to the accomplishment of 
good. It was also of great importance because of the 
enemy ; for there were many watching, eager to find 
fault, and raise the cry that our meetings were scenes 
of confusion and disorder. I would just here quote 
the remark of the venerable " skeleton preacher," that 
fault-finding is an easy business. It can be set up with 
a very small capital. It requires neither genius nor 
talent, neither education nor goodness, to fit out a fault- 
finder in business. I have seen men of little or no 
valuable endowments, — men who were scarcely worth 
a straw for any useful undertaking, or any effort at 
doing good, — who were, nevertheless, capital fault- 
finders, and could make themselves noisy and conspic- 
uous in opposing the labors of others. Fault-finding — 
I repeat it — is a business that can be set up on "very 
small capital." Our plan was, to have seats prepared 



364 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

for all who might attend, and then, from the com- 
mencement of the public worship, require all the con- 
gregation to be seated. There is little difficulty in 
preserving good order during worship in the largest 
assembly, if they are comfortably seated ; but if they 
are compelled to stand up, there is danger that they 
may begin to whisper and talk among themselves, and 
thus become disorderly. 

I had been called by the brethren to preside over the 
camp meeting at Sharon, in 1831. It had been in 
progress from Thursday noon until Saturday night. 
The whole scene had been solemn and delightful. The 
preaching was enlightened, captivating, and powerful. 
The seasons of prayer and praise were edifying and 
precious. The Holy Spirit brooded over the assembly. 
The awakened sinner exclaimed, " Surely God is in 
this place, and I knew it not ! " and the young convert 
answered, " This is none other but the house of God, 
and this is the gate of heaven." 

Saturday night had come. The lamps were lighted, 
and suspended to the trees that stood here and there 
through the camp ground, and the seats before the pulpit 
were occupied by perhaps about two thousand people. 
But the congregation was not yet complete. New acces- 
sions were pouring in continually, and our custom was 
to occupy those who first collected with short addresses, 
and seasons of praise and prayer, until the assembly 
was full, and then we would have a regular sermon. 
During these preliminary services, a number of young 
men clustered around a tall sugar-tree that stood some 
twenty steps from the pulpit, and commenced a loW- 
toned conversation. There was no palpable proof that 
they meant to be rude ; but still their position, right bv 



CAMP MEETINGS. • 365 

the congregation of worshippers, and the hum of their 
continued conversation, was quite an annoyance. A 
statement was now made aloud from the pulpit, that 
the rules of our meeting required that all who met with 
us should be seated during the hours of public worship, 
and the hope was expressed, that with this regulation 
all would cheerfully comply ; but the cluster around 
the tree remained unmoved, and the hum of their con- 
versation seemed rather to rise than fall. It was now 
quite a disturbance, and had all the appearance of being 
the result of a preconcerted plan to give us trouble. 
Yet I wished, if possible, to get them seated and 
silenced without the necessity of a public rebuke. Rev. 
Mr. Stafford, of North Carolina, was there. I requested 
him to make an address to the assembly, of about ten 
minutes' length ; for the people were still collecting, 
and the hour for the sermon had not yet come. Mr. 
Stafford's address was appropriate and powerful. The 
congregation were interested, but not a man in the 
circle round that tree moved or sat down, and the vex- 
atious hum evidently increased. Mr. Cressey, of Salem, 
Indiana, was then requested to make a short address. 
Brother Cressey is now in glory. His address was 
admirable. The congregation hung on his lips with 
rapture and astonishment. He sat down ; but around 
that tree the ring was unbroken, and their disorderly 
conversation was still kept up. A hymn was sung at 
the close of Mr. Cressey's exhortation, and during the 
hymn, I left the pulpit and took a seat in the crowd, 
half way from the pulpit to the circle around the tree. 
At the close of the hymn, I arose and said, "I have 
long endeavored to avoid giving any public rebuke for 
the improper conduct of an individual at a place of 
31* 



S(jG the western sketch-book. 

public worship. I believe the practice generally does 
more harm than good, and therefore I have shunned it. 
Bnt now I am about to depart, for once, from rny long- 
established practice. There was an individual here 
this morning that came for no good. Indeed, I under- 
stand that he came with the preconcerted design to do 
mischief, and make all the trouble he can. He was on 
the ground this afternoon. He is a very bad character, 
and I learn that he is here to-night. lam not speaking 
at random. I have documents in my possession to 
establish every word that I say. And as this matter of 
exposing an individual is somewhat trying, I mean to 
make thorough work now, as I have undertaken it, and 
I will tell you his name before I have done. Now, I 
wish you all to sit down," waving my hand to those 
around the tree. Instantly the tree was deserted ; 
every man was seated and profoundly silent. During 
a pause here of some seconds, the interest was intense. 
Father Thomson and the ministers in the pulpit 
thought I was acting .most rashly. They thought it 
likely that the individual alluded to, as soon as he 
should be named, would reply, and try to raise a party 
in his own defence, and that most likely a row would 
ensue. They seemed to catch their breath in the 
thrilling anxiety of the moment. I then proceeded : — 

" The individual to whom I allude is a liar, a most 
notorious liar, and I am able to prove it on him by testi- 
mony that none of you will dispute : further, he is a 
thief!" 

" O ! O ! O ! " said low voices in the crowd. 

" Yes, he is a thief ; and more than all this, he is a 
murderer ! " 

" O, that is too bad ! " said low voices in the 
crowd. 



CAMP MEETINGS. 367 

"No, it's not too bad. I tell you he is a murderer. 
I have the proof at hand. He is a murderer from the 
beginning. The proof to which I refer you is con- 
tained in the New Testament, and the name of this 
disorderly and troublesome individual is the Devil." 
Rarely has the name of the devil brought relief to so 
many anxious minds as on this occasion. The deep, 
long respiration, denoting that the burden was gone, 
could be distinctly heard from the pulpit, and from 
many in the crowd. I then, in few words, told them 
that the Scriptures warned them to beware of their ad- 
versary, the devil — that he is exceedingly malignant; 
the great foe of God and man — that he is very power- 
ful, having no less than the tremendous energies of 
" archangel ruined " — that he goeth about as a roaring 
lion, seeking whom he may devour. Thus this address 
was speedily wound up ; and then we had a sermon 
from another minister, to a very silent and attentive 
congregation, all seated in the most orderly manner. 

I had almost forgotten the above incident, and per- 
haps it would have faded entirely from the pages of 
memory ; but, some eight or nine years afterward, 
Dr. Mc Kinney, now of Southern Missouri, came to 
my house at St. Charles. " Do you remember," said 
he, " the company of men at the Sharon camp meet- 
ing, in Ohio, who gathered around the sugar-tree, and 
kej^t talking after the commencement of worship, and 
refused to sit down when requested ? " 

" You remind me of the circumstance," said I. 
' " Well," said the doctor, " I was one of that com- 
pany. I was not then a professor of religion ; indeed, 
I was very far from it. A number of us had come 
down from Oxford. Gay 3 thoughtless young men, we 



368 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

had high notions of our consequence and independence 
and thought we were entitled to do very much as we 
pleased. We had been somewhat stiff, stubborn, and 
unruly through the day, though no public notice had 
been taken of ns. I aspired to be something of a 
leader among those associates ; and we had formed a 
mutual league, that we would stand shoulder to shoul- 
der. When you commenced speaking of the individual 
that had come there for no good, but with the purpose 
of being troublesome, I began strongly to suspect that 
the reference was to me. The further the description 
advanced, the more exactly it appeared to fit my case. 
I became greatly alarmed, insomuch that even when 
those severe charges were made, ' the liar,' ' the thief,' 
' the murderer,' conscience told me 1 was guilty of all. 
I had been false to God. I had vowed, and basely 
broken my vows. As a sinner, I had robbed God ; 
and I deserved the charge. I had indulged hatred 
against my brother ; and God calls such a murderer in 
the heart. I was awfully agitated ; and when you 
said that you would tell the name of the offender, I 
fully calculated that my name would presently be 
called out before the whole assembly. When you 
requested the company to be seated, I was down in a 
moment ; and never was I more relieved than when 
told that the offender was the devil ; and never was I 
better pleased than when I found nothing more re- 
quired of me than to keep my seat, and keep quiet, 
and listen to a good sermon." 

Such was the narrative of Dr. Mc Kinney ; and the 
reader should know that he was now a Christian min- 
ister, preaching " that faith which once he destroyed." 



RECOLLECTIONS OF DR. NELSON. 369 



RECOLLECTIONS OE DR. DAVID 
NELSON. 



LETTER TO A FRIEND IN THE EAST. 

" Dear Brother, — 

" You inform me that you have been greatly- 
interested in perusing the volume entitled < The Cause 
and Cure of Infidelity,' by Dr. Nelson. You desire to 
know whether he has left any other writings than 
those contained in the book already named ; and you 
further wish to be informed of the state of religious 
society at the west, in which such a man arose, lived, 
and labored. Dr. Nelson has left other theological 
writings, of great value, which have been in my pos- 
session since the period of his death. I design soon 
to give them to the public. It shall now be my aim 
in this letter, and the articles connected with it, to give 
you some such sketches of his life and times as may 
be for general edification. Having been born and edu- 
cated in the same neighborhood with Dr. Nelson, grad- 
uated at the same college, licensed and ordained to the 
gospel ministry by the same presbytery, and for many 
years associated with him as co-editor of the Calvinistic 
Magazine, and fellow-laborer in preaching the gospel 
in the great and growing west, I gladly avail myself 
of this opportunity to ' speak that which I know, and 
testify that which I have seen.' 



370 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

" The parents of Dr. Nelson settled in Washington 
county, East Tennessee, at a very early day in the 
history of that country. His father, Henry Nelson, 
was, for many of the later years of his life, a ruling 
elder in the Presbyterian church. His mother's maiden 
name was Kelsey. Her family stood high for intelli- 
gence and respectability. Dr. David Nelson was born 
in the year 1793 — in which month of that year I 
have not the means of knowing. 

" Although the Indians were hostile at this period, 
a number of pious families had associated together, 
and formed a Christian church. Their preacher was 
Rev. Samuel Doak, a graduate of Princeton College, 
during the presidency of Dr. Witherspoon. This 
worthy and venerable man had emigrated to East Ten- 
nessee from the valley of Virginia, soon after the close 
of the revolutionary war ; and he had collected some 
two or three little churches, in contiguous neighbor- 
hoods. Among these he labored as a minister of the 
gospel, while, at the same time, he devoted a por- 
tion of his attention to the instruction of youth. 
He founded, at this early day, a literary institution, 
known, at first, as Martin Academy, but ultimately as 
Washington College, which proved a source of rich 
and lasting blessing to the church, and to civil society. 
And now, since this worthy old patriarch has entered 
into his rest, we contemplate with amazement the im- 
mense results of his life aiid labors. Without support 
as a minister, without patronage as a teacher, he toiled 
on, amidst difficulties and discouragements, through 
a period of more than fifty years. He cultivated a 
farm, and kept a boarding-house, for the support of his 
family, while as a preacher and teacher he labored 



RECOLLECTIONS OF DR. NELSON. 371 

abundantly. As a herald of the gospel, he was remark- 
ably efficient. The great Head of the church set 
many seals to his ministry, in ' souls renewed and sins 
forgiven,' through all the surrounding country, while 
many eminent lawyers, physicians, and statesmen were 
trained under his instructions ; and the ministers of 
the gospel educated by him have proved a rich blessing 
to the church, in, perhaps, every one of the Western 
and Southern States. Faithful servant of Z ion's God ! 
though gone to thy reward in glory, thou art not for- 
gotten in the church below ; and while we embalm 
thy memory in our hearts, we will tell to generations 
following of that divine goodness which crowned thy 
abundant labors with such triumphant success. 

" The early days of the west are gone. No future 
generation can arise, and witness what their fathers 
have seen. Now, the steamboat, with its travelling 
multitude, is on the bosom of our long rivers. Now, 
the hand of cultivation is stretched out over our broad 
and fertile plains. Now, cities, with their fifty thou- 
sand, and their hundred thousand inhabitants, are 
springing up here and there amongst us. But I re- 
member the day when, in the older states of the west, 
the rivers and smaller streams were lined with the dense 
and almost impenetrable canebrake ; when the plains 
and hills were covered with the rank, luxuriant pea- 
vine, so that you could follow the trail of the elk, the 
deer, or the buffalo, for hours together. I remember 
the period when, at nightfall, the wolf howled on the 
hill, and was answered by the scream of the panther ; 
and the wild and warlike Indian, with his scalping-knife 
and tomahawk, was the terror of old and young. In 
those days, the habitation of the best families, even 



372 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

the most thrifty and enterprising, was the primitive 
log cabin, with its clapboard roof, its puncheon floor, 
and its wooden chimney, well daubed with clay ; and 
often was the farmer called from his labors in the day, 
or roused from his slumbers in the night, to drive the 
bear from his hogs, the wolves from his cattle, or the 
thievish Indian from about his horse stable. 

" In those days, every man, when he left his home, 
carried with him his rifle, and his weapons of defence. 
Farmers went in companies of six, eight, and ten, to 
plant and cultivate their fields : two or three would stand 
as sentinels, at different points, while the others per- 
formed the necessary work. Thus they went from field 
to field, till each man's land was tilled. When they met 
for public worship, it was in the same style. Each 
man came with his rifle in his hand ; and a sufficient 
number were stationed to guard against surprise from 
the Indians, while the others listened to the tidings of 
the everlasting gospel. And just among the trials and 
distractions which I have mentioned, the precious gos- 
pel of the blessed God proved the bread of life, and 
the water of life, to many a hungry soul. 

" Such was the state of society in which the early 
days of Dr. Nelson were passed, while it must be borne 
in mind that his parents were reading Christians^ and 
the ' family book-desk,' as the doctor used to style it, 
was supplied with a respectable number of substantial 
volumes of Scotch divinity. Early in life, he memo- 
rized the Westminster Catechism. Not long before 
his death, he wrote an article on the subject of the 
benefit he received, when young, from Willison's work 
on the Catechism. He was deeply impressed during 
the great revival, though I know not that he enter- 



RECOLLECTIONS OF DR. NELSON. 373 

tained any hope of conversion at that period. When 
about seventeen years of age, he went to Kentucky, 
where his elder brother resided. There he engaged in 
the study of medicine, and afterwards went to Phila- 
delphia, to attend the medical lectures. When the 
war with England was declared, he went into the army 
as a physician. There he became associated with a 
number of sceptical men ; and, finally, he imbibed 
their dangerous and destructive views. He was now 
desperately wicked. His constitutional courage, of 
which he had much, now put on an aspect that might 
be termed savage. The first time that I remember 
to have seen him, after his return from the army, he 
was hurrying along the streets of Jonesborough, with 
a naked dirk in his hand, the very image of a reckless 
desperado. There had been a street fight in the vil- 
lage, and Nelson was in the midst of it, apparently 
highly entertained, and ready to act his part. 

" At this period, his mother was much engaged in 
prayer in his behalf. She was a woman of deep piety. 
Her earnestness in prayer for him was remarkable. I 
saw and conversed with her often, about that time. 
She had, in her heart, set aside this son, from his child- 
hood, for the service of God in the ministry. She had 
hoped much while he was serious in early youth ; but 
now those hopes seemed blighted, and appearances 
were fearfully unfavorable. In prayer, she was impor- 
tunate and persevering. Her importunity seemed to 
verge on agony. But she lived to receive an answer 
of peace ; and her heart was glad. Her son regarded 
himself, while he lived, as a brand plucked from the 
burning, in answer to the prayers of a mother. 

" In this brief sketch, I can notice but few particu- 
32 



374 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

lars. I must not, however, neglect to mention that, 
after his conversion, he was, for a time, strongly in- 
clined to Arminianism, and tried hard to reconcile it 
with the Bible. His own account of this portion of 
his history is contained in the following article, which 
he wrote soon after he commenced preaching : — 

AN INEFFECTUAL STRUGGLE. 

There was a young professor of religion, in the 
Presbyterian church, who felt very frequently a rising 
repugnance to the doctrines generally denominated Cal- 
vinistic. The secret workings of his heart, unknown to 
himself, (if they had been plainly translated,) ran nearly 
thus : " It were a pity those doctrines should be true : 
it is, in short, out of the question. I hope God will 
act more in accordance with my ideas of propriety. I 
must, if possible, find some passage of Scripture to 
overset them," &c. But to all the texts he could pro- 
duce, proclaiming the general offer, the unlimited effi- 
cacy of the Savior's death, his having no pleasure in 
the death of the sinner, &c, &c, he received from his 
brethren one short and simple reply : " God offers sal- 
vation freely to all, through a Redeemer's blood. All 
as freely and with one accord reject it. Shall he let 
them all take their own road to death ? or save all ? 
We see he does neither, but makes as many willing in 
the day of his power as he chooses." And no matter 
what the number or variety of passages he cited, this 
answer (or the substance of it better expressed) was 
always ready, and seemed to fit the whole of them. 
His next undertaking was, to try and have those pas- 
sages which seemed to declare God's eternal purposes 



RECOLLECTIONS OF DR. NELSON. 375 

explained so as to get them, if possible, out of his way. 
He was intimate with several pious and worthy men 
who did not believe the views of his church on those 
points, but thought them false and hurtful. To them, 
then, he would go with such a passage from the Bible 
as the following : J' And they that dwell upon the earth 
shall wonder (whose names were not written in the 
book of life from the foundation of the world.)" (Rev. 
xvii. 8.) He would receive an explanation which 
would satisfy him for the time ; but when he next 
opened his Bible, he would perhaps stumble upon Acts 
xiii. 48 : " And as many as were ordained to eternal 
life believed." Here he would find that the former 
explanation would not fit this ; for to say they were 
ordained to eternal life before they believed, would be 
election ; and to say they were ordained after they 
believed, would prove the final perseverance ; and yet 
it would appear that some time or other they were 
ordained. Again, he would go for an explanation to 
this and many other dark passages. Sometimes he 
would receive an explanation which appeared very 
satisfactory, and at others not so much so. But 
the greatest dilemma was, that almost every verse re- 
quired a different road to get round it. And again, the 
task was endless ; for it appeared that at least one half 
of the New Testament required him to have not only 
ingenuity and skill, but absolute cunning, to escape 
from the incessant bearing it had towards God's unqual- 
ified sovereignty. He could scarcely commence a 
chapter of the epistles in peace. Even the introduc- 
tion was, " Paul called to be an apostle," (and he re- 
membered that verily the call on the Damascus road 
was a cogent one,) — " to the church at Corinth," — 



376 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

" called to be saints." Thought he, " Are not all called 
to be saints ? " But perhaps he would next stumble 
upon_l Cor. i. 26 : " For ye see your calling, brethren, 
how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many 
mighty, not many noble, are called." Not only whole 
verses, but whole chapters, seemed to demand a dex- 
terous transmutation. He had to suppose that an apostle 
of God, and a preacher of the everlasting gospel, not 
only did not speak of himself when he said /, but that 
when he said / myself, he meant an unconverted Jew ! 

In short, the labor of explanation thickened upon 
him so fast, that no versatility of talent, and no store- 
house of memory, seemed sufficient to invent and retain 
the various shifts and expedients necessary to fortify 
him against the continual recurrence and multiplied and 
inexhaustible variety of expressions. " According as he 
hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the 
world, that we should be holy," &c. ; » Having predes- 
tinated us unto the adoption of children," &c. ; " Being 
predestinated according to the purpose of him who 
worketh all things after the counsel of his own will." 
(Eph. i. 4, 5, 11.) " Therefore hath he mercy on 
whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hard- 
eneth." (Rom. ix. 18.) 

The conclusion he was finally forced into was, — 

" Must I never open God's Holy Book without hav- 
ing to summon my ingenuity of evasion ? 

" Dare I resort to artifice in expounding so large a 
portion of the written will of my awful Creator ? 

" I may new translate his Testament ; but will he 
acknowledge the edition ? 

" I may appear before his bar with my hundred nice- 
wrought expositions, and say they were all made to 



RECOLLECTIONS OF DR. NELSON. 377 

protect his character from the imputation of partiality ; 
but will he thank me for the trouble I have taken ? 
Or will he say, * Who hath required this at your hands ? 
Can I not defend my own character ? Thoughtest 
thou that I was altogether such a one as thyself? ' 

"I might write folios by way of commentary, and, 
with indefatigable zeal, paint with a thin coloring the 
whole of the Sacred Oracles ; ' but in the glare of the 
judgment day, it would all vanish like smoke.' " 

"THE LEARNED SCHOOLMASTER. 

" Dr. Nelson delighted much in the preaching of the 
gospel. This he regarded as God's appointed instru- 
ment for renovating and saving men. His aim was to 
obey the apostolic injunction, 'Be instant in season, 
out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long- 
suffering and doctrine.' He took a peculiar pleasure in 
preaching the gospel in destitute places, where few 
opportunities had been enjoyed. Like his divine Mas- 
ter, he had compassion on the multitude, who were 
wandering like sheep without a shepherd, and he would 
seize on any occasion by which the word of life might 
be proclaimed in their ears. The wayside, the moun- 
tain-top, the field, the grove, no place came amiss to 
such a preacher. 

" In the year 1829, he was travelling among the 
mountains that divide Kentucky from the state of 
Tennessee. As the day was wearing to a close, he 
approached a little village, in which he determined to 
spend the night. It is well known that almost every 
neighborhood in the great west has its presiding genius, 
its literati, its great man. You will rarely find, even in the 
32* 



378 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

mountainous districts, a little community but its master 
spirit is there, an object of as much regard and venera- 
tion as John 0. Calhoun at Charleston, Henry Clay at 
Lexington, or Daniel Webster at the city of Boston. 
Thus it was at the little village where Nelson had 
stopped for the night. There were two small houses 
of entertainment, on opposite sides of the street, each 
having its sign hung out, with appropriate inscriptions. 
Near one of these was a schoolmaster, surrounded with 
a delighted circle of listening admirers, while he expa- 
tiated on the unparalleled march of mind within the 
period of his own remembrance. Difficult and hitherto 
inaccessible heights of science had recently, he alleged, 
been scaled by learned men, like himself, while the 
philosophical world had gazed at the achievement in 
mute amazement. He was, in short, the exact du- 
plicate of Goldsmith's country schoolmaster. 

' His words of learned length and thundering sound 
Amazed the gazing rustics ranged around ; 
And still they gazed, and still the wonder grew, 
That one small head could carry all he knew.' 

This illustrious genius had his literary harangue ar- 
rested in mid volley, by the halting of a stranger before 
the door of the tavern on the opposite side of the street. 
All eyes were at once turned in that direction. 

" ' There !' exclaimed the schoolmaster, "we'll go 
over and ask that man. I know that he is a scholar, 
by the looks of him.' So the whole party, lifting 
their feet with high expectation, came stalking over 
the street. 

" < Stranger, can you tell me which is the greatest of 
all the sciences ? ' said the schoolmaster. 



RECOLLECTIONS OF DR. NELSON. 379 

" ' I can tell you which is the most important,' an- 
swered Nelson. 

" l Well, let us hear, stranger.' 

" ' To fear and honor our Creator,' said Nelson. 

" { Ah ! ' exclaimed the schoolmaster, raising both 
his hands, and stepping backward — ' ah, that kills 
me ! ' 

" The company, whose admiration had been so 
highly excited by the exhibition of such rare endow- 
ment by this son of science, and who, while listening 
to his rhetorical flourishes, really regarded him as per- 
haps the most marvellous man within the circle of the 
literary world, were now perfectly stumbled and as- 
tounded on beholding their champion throw down his 
arms, call for quarter, and surrender at discretion, when 
the stranger had merely thrown himself into an atti- 
tude of defence. Here the modern schoolmaster fell far 
short of Goldsmith's hero, of whom he testifies, 

' In arguing, too, the parson owned his skill ; 
For, e'en though vanquished, he could argue still.' 

" All eyes were now, of course, turned to the newly- 
arrived gentleman, who was still on horseback. After 
staring for a few moments in silence, one, more bold 
than the rest, started forward. 

" ' Are you a preacher, sir ? ' 

" ' Yes,' said Nelson. 

" ' Suppose you preach for us to-night.' 

tct Agreed,' said Nelson. 

" < Well, I'll alarm the town.' 

" < Start ! ' said Nelson. 

" Away went this self-constituted towncrier, an- 



380 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

nouncing to the people that a < high-learned ' man 
would preach at the court house at early candlelight. 

" At the appointed hour, quite a congregation of plain, 
serious-looking people assembled. Dr. Nelson took his 
position among them, and commenced the services by- 
singing his favorite hymn, — 

' Lord, when I read the traitor's doom,' &c. 

Many of those who have heard Nelson preach, will 
long remember that hymn. On the occasion of which 
I am now speaking, he proceeded, in his earnest and 
faithful manner, to preach to them ' the glorious gospel 
of the blessed God.' The fruit of his labors will ap- 
pear 'at the resurrection of the just.' Such seasons 
were exceedingly precious in the estimation of Dr. 
Nelson. It was sowing the good seed where, with the 
blessing of God, it might spring up and bring forth 
fruit unto eternal life. It was the joy and rejoicing of 
his heart to be employed in such humble labors. He 
would often quote the apostle's language, (Eph. iii. 
8,) ' Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, 
is this grace given, that I should preach among the 
Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.' 



"THE STARTLED LANDLORD. 

" Some critic has remarked of the Iliad of Homer, 
that it is a picture rather than a poem ; that is, the 
scenes there appear to stand out before the eye, and 
the impression left upon the reader is, that he has be- 
held those scenes, rather than heard them described. 
Such was the preaching of Nelson. When he addressed 



RECOLLECTIONS OF DR. NELSON. 381 

an assembly, you were a spectator rather than a hearer. 
You saw the facts and scenes with which he wished 
to impress the mind. This characteristic also entered 
largely into his conversation. He had a peculiar power 
of throwing before the mind a vivid picture of that 
which he wished you to understand and feel. I will 
mention an example. Many of the plain country peo- 
ple, remote from large cities, have heard strange stories 
of dissecting-rooms, how dead bodies are dug up and 
brought from their graves into these places, and then 
cut to pieces by the doctors as ruthlessly as the butcher 
carves up his pork and his beef. Rumors of what is 
done in these dark dens have found their way into 
remote country districts, and have been rehearsed in 
circles of awe-stricken hearers, while the hair of their 
heads stood up, and their eyes seemed ready to start 
from their sockets. 

" About the year 1830, Dr. Nelson spent a night at 
a public house among the mountains of Virginia. The 
landlord was a strong-built, jovial, merry-hearted man, 
who evidently was in the habit of using freely what 
the New England people call ' rum.' Early in the 
morning, Nelson was up, making arrangements for 
proceeding on his journey. The landlord, polite and 
attentive, was bestirring himself for the accommoda- 
tion of his guest. 

"'Come, stranger,' said he, setting out a bottle of 
spirits, 'help yourself to a morning dram.' 

" ' I don't drink spirits.' 

" ' Let me, however, recommend a little of this. 
The morning is chilly, and this is good as an " anti- 
fogmatic." ' 

11 ' Excuse me,' said Nelson, ' I know it to be injuri- 
ous, and I would advise you to quit it.' 



382 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

" < Well,' said the landlord, with a horizontal shake 
of the head, and a self-satisfied strut across the room, 
' if it is a poison, it is a very slow one. I've been 
trying it a great while, and I always find that a little 
does a man good.' 

" ' Sir,' said Nelson, turning and looking him full in 
the face — ' sir, let me tell you that I'm a doctor ; and 
I've cut open dead people. I've seen what frightful 
havoc this liquid fire that you are drinking makes on 
the inside of a man. You think that you are now in 
firm health ; but I can tell by your looks that the work 
of destruction within you is far advanced. Could you 
have a view of your entrails at this moment, you would 
see them all dappled, streaked, and discolored by this 
deadly poison which you are drinking. Yes, you 
would now see great bloody knots there, dark and gory, 
as big as the end of my thumb.' 

" Scarcely did Daniel's interpretation of the hand- 
writing on the palace wall produce a more visible change 
in the countenance of the Babylonian king, than was 
made in the looks of our stout, jocular, but now 
startled landlord, by this account of the frightful in- 
scriptions of King Alcohol on his inner man. In a 
moment his haughty airs were dropped, his proud strut 
abandoned ; even his round, joyous face seemed to 
lengthen, and his short, chubby neck looked, for the 
time, surprisingly slim. 

Nelson mounted his horse and resumed his journey. 
Whether his remarks produced on the landlord any 
thing beyond a mere temporary effect, he had never 
afterwards an opportunity to learn. 



RECOLLECTIONS OF DR. NELSON. 383 



"A SCEPTIC IN TROUBLE. 

" Dr. Nelson having been, for many years, a pro- 
fessed infidel, and intimately associated with that class 
of men, he ever appeared, after his conversion, to have 
a special concern for them. Where he could discover 
but the dim dawning of honest inquiry, and willing- 
ness to know the truth, his sympathies seemed inex- 
haustible. With untiring assiduity, he would labor 
night and day for the recovery of one such victim 
from the meshes of scepticism ; but when, as was 
often the case, he encountered the pride of ignorance, 
— some little soul, who thought to render himself 
conspicuous by strutting against the ordinances of the 
Most High ; some Torn Thumb, in the boots of the 
giant Incredulity, thinking to stride from hill to hill, 
over all that is sacred and venerable in society, — in 
such cases, he took high and peculiar delight in de- 
molishing, at a single blow, the imaginary greatness of 
the self-deceiver. Like Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, 
his first blow was perfectly decisive. There was no 
need why he should ' smite a second time.' (1 Sam. 
xxvi. 8.) Many an anecdote is told in the west of 
inflated, towering, cloud-capped Infidelity, that was 
shivered to the ground by one flash of his terrible 
genius. An instance of this kind occurred in 1831. 
A fine steamboat, crowded with passengers, had left 
the wharf at Louisville for Cincinnati. The cabin 
was thronged with travellers, of genteel appearance, 
cheerful countenances, and engaging manners. An 
ignorant, conceited sceptic on board concluded that 
this was a favorable opportunity for making an ad van- 



384 - THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

tageous display. To some who were near him he 
remarked, in a louder tone than others had thought 
proper to assume, ' The literary eminence of the age 
in which we live is matter of congratulation to all the 
real friends of man. The superstitions and prejudices 
of former generations are dissolving and disappearing 
before the fall-orbed glory of modern science. The 
researches of learned men have, at length, ascertained, 
conclusively, that the Bible is false ; and that the reli- 
gion it teaches is without the shadow of foundation in 
truth.' 

" ' How's that ? ' said a passenger at a little dis- 
tance. ' Do you say the Bible is false ? ' 

" ' I do, sir. The discoveries of modern science 
have established that fact beyond a doubt. The Bible 
is false, its history is fiction, its doctrines a delusion, 
its hopes a dream.' 

" These < great, swelling words of vanity ' attracted 
considerable attention among those who were not other- 
wise occupied ; yet no one attempted to contradict the 
sceptic, who, delighted to find himself an object of so 
much notoriety, went on to expatiate, for some time, 
as he fondly imagined, in a very learned strain, evi- 
dently supposing that, like certain committees of Con- 
gress, he was ' reporting progress,' in fine style. Dr. 
Nelson was sitting near, but judged it best, for a time, 
to ' give rope ' to the boaster. When he thought mat- 
ters had gone far enough, he turned to the sceptic — 
1 Have you made yourself acquainted with these sub- 
jects, sir ? ' 

" l Yes, sir, I have,' was the confident reply. 

" l You have examined, then, the discussion of 
learned men on these points, have you ? ' 



RECOLLECTIONS OF DR. NELSON. 385 

" < Well — why — yes, I suppose I have,' 

" ' Can you tell me, sir, at what period it was that 
Cecrops founded the city of Athens ? ' 

11 ' Cecrops ? ' demanded the sceptic, looking rather 
blank. 

" ' Yes, sir, Cecrops. At what period, or about 
what year, did he found the city of Athens ? ' 

" ' Well, sir, I believe, really, that I can't remember.' 

" ' Can you tell me, then, at what time it was that 
Cadmus introduced letters into Greece ? ' 

" ' Cadmus ? ' said the sceptic, with a look yet more 
woe-begone. 

" ' Yes, Cadmus, the founder of Grecian literature, 
as all the world knows. I asked you at what period 
he flourished.' 

« t Why, I — I don't think I am acquainted with 
his history.' 

" ■ Well, sir, at what time lived that notable individ- 
ual named Phaeton, whose singular exploits are so 
largely celebrated by ancient poets ? ' 

11 ' Phaeton ? ' said the sceptic, with lengthened 
visage, and an attitude that seemed to implore com- 
miseration. 

" ' Yes, sir, Phaeton.' 

u * I believe, sir, I don't know.' 

"'My dear sir,' said Nelson, 'you should inform 
yourself before you presume to talk so confidently on 
these subjects.' Then casting on him, for a few 
seconds, a dry, withering look, the power of which 
none could know but those who felt it, the doctor 
turned entirely away, and engaged in conversation 
with those who sat near him. The crest-fallen sceptic 
presently shot for his state-room, and displayed himself 
33 



386 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

no more during the remainder of the voyage. The 
style of his retreat resembled that of the prairie fox, 
whom the scorching flames have unexpectedly sur- 
rounded. He felt that he was sadly singed, and that 
all the company beheld him suddenly and surprisingly 
curtailed of his flowing honors. 

"SACRED POETRY. 

" In reference to sacred, poetry, the mind of Dr. 
Nelson was endowed with peculiarly accurate and 
delicate perception. He possessed, in a very high de- 
gree, that exquisite intellectual relish, that nice discern- 
ment, which we denominate taste. Indeed, before his 
conversion, he delighted to revel amidst the gorgeous 
beauties of the English classics. Shakspeare, Milton, 
Dryden, Pope, Montgomery, Byron, and Walter Scott 
were his chosen companions ; but after his mind and 
heart were turned to the Lord, Dr. Watts became his 
favorite author. Among English sacred poets, Dr. 
Watts stood, in his estimation, without a rival, while 
he valued highly some of the best productions of 
Cowper. Steele, Kirke White, and others. 

" His extensive practice as a physician had led him 
to an intimate acquaintance with the mass of the com- 
mon people. He found, by mingling familiarly among 
them, that a large proportion of the theological knowl- 
edge which they possess is embodied in the standard 
hymns of the church, which they have learned by 
memory. That individual, or that family, who have 
memorized eight or ten standard hymns, such as Dr. 
Watts's 2d and 7th hymns of Book I., and 9th, 30th, 
66th, 69th, and 107th, Book II., and 1st and 13th of 



RECOLLECTIONS OF DR. NELSON. 387 

Book III., — those, I repeat it, who have these hymns 
well fixed in their minds, are possessed of much im- 
portant gospel knowledge. In no other form, where 
the English language is spoken, has divine truth, dur- 
ing the last hundred years, reached so many immortal 
souls, as through these and similar standard hymns. 
On this account, they were greatly valued by Dr. Nel- 
son. These standard hymns were also very highly 
valued by him for the purpose of admonition. He 
regarded the exhortation of the apostle, when he 
enjoined on the church the duty of ' teaching and ad- 
monishing one another in psalms, and hymns, and 
spiritual songs.' Dr. Nelson would often sing one of 
those instructive and impressive hymns alone, at the 
commencement or at the close of a sermon, without 
reading it, or first repeating the lines. He believed 
that the divine truth embodied in one of these sacred 
songs, when it is sung £ with the spirit, and with the 
understanding,' is often blessed in arresting the atten- 
tion and awakening the conscience of the hearer, when 
a solemn sermon may have entirely failed. Thus he 
often used singing as a species of sacred rhetoric, for 
the purpose of extending the knowledge and the im- 
pression of gospel truths among the children of men. 

" He also commended the standard hymns of the 
church, because they were such effective sources of 
consolation to the afflicted. Often, while as a physician 
he was among the sick and the dying, he found the 
sufferer sustained and cheered by the precious, divine 
truth contained in some rich stanza, such as the follow- 
ing : — 

' O, if my Lord would come and meet, 

My soul should stretch her wings in haste, 



388 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOfr. 

Fly fearless through death's iron gate, 
Nor feel the terrors as she passed. 

' Jesus can make a dying bed 

Feel soft as downy pillows are ; 
While on his breast I lean my head, 
And breathe my life out sweetly there.' 

" In the social circle, he delighted to take Dr. Watts's 
Psalms and Hymns, and read, and point out the beauties 
of favorite passages. I have heard him expatiate, in 
such circumstances, on the 3d stanza of the 2d hymn, 
Book I. : — 



He led the host of morning stars : 
Thy generation who can tell, 

Or count the number of thy years ? ' 

In the two former stanzas of this hymn, the poet has 
been dwelling on the divine grandeur of Christ. He 
pursues the same theme through the first two lines of 
this stanza ; then his soul is suddenly so overwhelmed 
with the ineffable glory of Immanuel, that he breaks 
off abruptly from description, and bursts forth into 
adoration, closing the stanza with a sublime reference 
to the eternity of the Son of God. The 69th hymn 
of Book II. , on the subject of God's faithfulness in 
fulfilling his promises, and the firmness of his word, 
was a great favorite with Dr. Nelson. I have heard 
him dwell on the 6th and 7th stanzas of that hymn 
with an enthusiasm that bordered on rapture : — 

' His every word of grace is strong 
As that which built the skies ; 
The voice that rolls the stars along 
Speaks all the promises. 



RECOLLECTIONS OF DR. NELSON. 389 

' He said, Let the wide heavens be spread, 

And heaven was stretched abroad ; 
Abraham, VII be thy God, he said, 
And he was Abra'am's God.' 

"It is much to be regretted, that, in so many of the 
American editions of Watts, the corruption ' very,' 
instead of ' every,' should have crept into the first line 
of the above quotation. The stanza, as Watts wrote 
it, is one of the finest in the English language ; but 
when ' very ' is suffered to usurp the place of ' every,' 
a sad eclipse is thrown over the whole stanza. 

" Dr. Nelson's poetical powers, which were of a 
high order, and his exquisite and carefully-cultivated 
taste for compositions of that kind, prepared him to 
place a proper estimate on that wretched mania for 
mutilating standard hymns, which has been the vexa- 
tion and scourge of the church for a number of the 
past years. He regarded the cutting to pieces, or, as 
he sometimes expressed it, the l scalping and toma- 
hawking ' of a beautiful hymn, which the judgment 
and good taste of the church has sanctioned for, per- 
haps, a hundred years, as a grievous outrage, which 
the perpetrator has no right to expect the Christian 
public to endure. His views are, in substance, the 
following : — 

" 1. It is flagrant injustice to the author whose name 
is used. Hymns are now circulated over the name 
of ' Watts,' that Watts never saw. Not only entire 
lines, but whole stanzas, of miserable doggerel, that had 
no existence till long since Watts left the world, are 
now published over the name of that ' sweet singer of 
Israel ; ' and the public are told that the author is 
1 Watts.' This is falsehood and injustice. You would 
33* 



390 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 



not allow a worthy man to be slandered, merely be- 
cause he had crossed the ocean, and is now in Europe. 
He is in existence still, and still has his rights. And 
will you allow that the worthy man who has crossed 
the ' narrow sea' that divides earth from heaven, has no 
claim to be treated with truth and justice ? Is it not 
as wrong to misrepresent the dead as the absent ? And 
because the name of Watts, attached to a hymn, will 
induce the public to buy the book containing that 
hymn, is that a reason why the great poet should be 
made to father wretched doggerel, scribbled by some 
mutilator, whose brain never was capable of pro- 
ducing even the abortion of a poetical idea ? How 
indignantly did John Wesley protest against the con- 
duct of those who attempted to introduce lean, poverty- 
stricken hymns into public notice, by attaching to them 
his name, and the name of his brother Charles ! Shall 
the dead be slandered, and the church sanction it ? 
Jesus Christ maintained that Abraham, and Isaac, 
and Jacob are yet living, (Matt. xxii. 32.) and yet 
retain their relation to the God of the living. Shall 
Abraham be represented as saying what he never said ? 
as teaching what he never taught ? And why should 
this injurious violation of truth be allowed in the case 
of a modern saint, — Watts, or Cowper, or Steele ? 

u 2. The mutilation of standard hymns is a great 
annoyance to the church. Many of those who delight 
in the praises of God have committed to memory quite 
a number of the choice hymns which the church has 
been using for a Long series of years. These have 
become very dear to them, not only because of their 
intrinsic value, but by reason of many interesting and 
precious associations in Christian history and experience. 



RECOLLECTIONS OF DR. NELSON. 391 

But, lo ! suddenly up starts an inflated, fidgety mutila- 
tor, and protests that the hymn which the church has 
sanctioned and enjoyed for a hundred years is ' wrong 
end up, wrong side out, and wrong foot foremost,' 
and that there is a clear call in providence for him to 
revise and improve it. So at it he goes ; and, by the 
time he is done, lackaday ! you may apply to it the 
description given by the Scotch poet of one of his 
heroes : — 

' Poor wretch ! the mother that him bare, 
If she had been in presence there, 
In his wan cheek, and sunburnt hair, 
She had not known her son. 1 

The fact is notorious, that, since the irruption of the 
hordes of hymn-mutilators into the church, congrega- 
tions have, to a mournful extent, given up the singing 
of God's praises in his sanctuary. How can it be 
otherwise, when reckless pretenders are suffered to 
tamper with and mar the songs of Zion, until they 
retain scarcely the ghost of resemblance to their former 
beauty and perfection ? 

" 3. Dr. Nelson regarded the conduct of the mutilator 
as insufferably presumptuous. Who is this that, with- 
out the shadow of claim to poetical talent, rashly pre- 
sumes to tear to tatters the sublime productions of ex- 
alted genius ? Shall the friends and admirers of Watts, 
Cowper, and Henry Kirke White look on this wanton 
havoc, and be silent ? 

"4. He maintained, further, that it was a plain vio- 
lation of the ninth commandment. He who writes a 
string of wretched doggerel himself, and^hen proclaims 
to the public that Watts wrote it, bears false witness 
against his neighbor. 



392 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

" 5. And, moreover, it is altogether a question whether 
the mutilator is not guilty in the eye of the sixth com- 
mandment. There is certainly i hymn-slaughter ' in 
the case ; for the crippled hymn, or, as Nelson ex- 
pressed it, the hymn that has been < scalped and toma- 
hawked,' invariably dies. Its lot is more melancholy 
than that of the poor man who ' went down from Jeru- 
salem to Jericho,' and was ' stripped of his raiment, 
and wounded, and left half dead ; ' for the wounded 
hymn dies out and out. It dies in the esteem and 
affection of the church. It is not sung in its 'mutilated 
form in the prayer meeting, or in the social circle. It 
is dead, and, if remembered at all, with interest, it 
is as you remember a murdered friend : the interest 
is in the memory of what it once was, and not in the 
mangled remains now before you. 

" Dr. Nelson would sometimes talk familiarly of 
scenes that he believed would take place in the next 
world. He believed, with Milton, that there may be 
more likeness between things in heaven and things on 
earth than is often imagined. He would sometimes 
entertain his friends with an account of Watts, Cowper, 
and Steele meeting the hymn mutilator in a future 
state. The scales that prevented him from seeing the 
beauty of their productions will then have fallen from 
his eyes, and he will be heartily ashamed of what he 
has done ; and should he, when walking along the 
streets of the New Jerusalem, discover Dr. Watts com- 
ing towards him, how eagerly will he look round for 
a by-lane or alley, that he may speedily turn a corner, 
and escape from the eye of one on whose works he 
-had perpetrated such outrageous mischief! " 



ARMINIANISM vs. THE MILLENNIUM. 393 



ARMINIANISM vs. THE MILLENNIUM. 



No impartial man can examine the subject carefully, 
without being fully convinced, that if the peculiar 
doctrines of Arminianism be true, there never will be 
a millennium ; and, on the other hand, that if it be 
true that a millennial day is approaching, then the 
peculiar doctrines of Arminianism are unquestionably 
groundless ; and when that bright day of Z ion's glory 
arrives, all nations of the earth will look upon those 
peculiar sentiments for which our Arminian friends 
now contend so zealously, as nothing better than 
" wind and confusion." 

No Arminian can avoid seeing, that if he admits 
that God designs to convert the whole world at a " set 
time," (Ps. cii. 13,) he admits, broadly and fully, what 
Calvinists have always meant by the " purpose of God 
according to election;" for the most remarkable in- 
stance of God's electing love, is his determination to 
convert and save all nations in the millennial day. 

No Arminian can avoid seeing, that if he admits 
that the Lord will "make bare his arm" in the latter 
day, and turn all families of the earth from Satan to 
God, then he admits the very doctrine of effectual call- 
ing, against which Arminians have so long and so 
violently contended. 

No Arminian can avoid seeing, that if he admits 



394 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

that in the latter day Zion's King will "take to him 
his great power," and subdue all hearts to the obedi- 
ence of the gospel, then he admits the doctrine of 
divine sovereignty ; for all acknowledge that God did 
not subdue the hearts of all men in the days of Sodom 
and Gomorrah, or in any age that has yet passed. 

No Arminian can avoid seeing, that if he admits 
there will be a long millennial day, a thousand pro- 
phetic years, in which there shall be " none to hurt or 
destroy in all God's holy mountain," then away goes 
his favorite doctrine of " falling from grace;" for the 
inhabitants of the earth will not only be converted at 
first, but they will remain converted. They will per- 
severe in holiness till the end of life. 

Thus it is evident, that when the light of the mil- 
lennial morning bursts upon our world, the mists and 
clouds which now obscure the vision of many pro- 
fessing Christians will be rolled away, and divine 
truth will stand out with "sevenfold" brightness in 
the view of all nations. 

The question may now arise, What will our Armin- 
ian friends do, in view of the conclusive evidence 
which God's promise of a millennium furnishes against 
their peculiar sentiments ? I answer, some of them, 
when they look at this subject candidly, and see how 
absolutely inconsistent their doctrines are with the 
promise of God, that the whole earth shall be con- 
verted in the latter day, will doubtless renounce their 
errors, and embrace the truth. Of this I am persuaded, 
for, — 

1. All Christians love truth when it is clearly per- 
ceived by the mind ; and, although there are many 
ways in which their minds may be prejudiced, and led 



ARMINIANISM vs. THE MILLENNIUM. 395 

to take a perverted view of certain Scripture doctrines, 
yet error is not the native element of the renovated 
heart. And we are assured that, when all hearts are 
renewed, and all prejudice is put down, and all misrep- 
resentation is done away, then all the inhabitants of 
the earth shall see eye to eye. 

2. We see that, as the Scriptures are examined more 
and more, many are coming over from error to the side 
of truth. In the county where I live, I calculate there 
are now many stanch advocates for the doctrines of 
sovereign grace, where there was one twenty years ago. 
Knowledge increases, and truth advances, as the day 
of the Lord draws nigh. 

3. All Christians admit that, in the millennium, the 
church will be much more enlightened than at the 
present time. Show any denomination that the pe- 
culiarities for which they contend will certainly be 
rejected by the whole church during the millennium, 
and at once their faith in those peculiarities is shaken. 
No good man is willing to make efforts for the propa- 
gation of sentiments which he clearly sees the whole 
church will reject as soon as God's glory fills the earth. 
For these reasons, I doubt not that many who have 
hitherto stood up for the peculiarities of Arminianism 
will give up the contest, and admit they had been 
mistaken, as soon as they perceive the absolute incon- 
sistency of those doctrines with the promise of God 
that all nations shall be converted " in his time." But 
will all renounce these errors ? Not immediately. 
Error will not quit the field without a violent struggle. 
And although I cannot attempt to point out all the arts 
that will be employed to prop a tottering cause, yet the 
principal one will be, to deny absolutely that God will 



396 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

ever grant to the church a millennium, in which, for 
many ages, " all shall know the Lord, from the least to 
the greatest." I have no doubt that, so soon as those 
Arminians who are determined to yield to no array of 
argument, discover how totally irreconcilable the hope 
of a millennium is with the leading features of their 
scheme, they will come out and broadly deny that 
there will ever be a day of millennial glory enjoyed by 
the church on earth. Nor let this be thought incredi- 
ble. We fiud that the advocates of error have, on 
former occasions, acted a part altogether as strange, 
and have denied doctrines as plainly taught in the 
Scriptures as the doctrine of a millennium is or can be. 
I will mention one instance. In the days of President 
Edwards, Arminians in Europe and America had 
breathed out much complaint against the doctrine of 
God's decrees, pronouncing it absurd, ridiculous, incon- 
sistent, &c. &c. Edwards took up his pen and showed 
them, that the doctrine was not only most clearly taught 
in the Bible, which they professed to believe, but that 
it was also necessarily connected with the doctrine of 
God's foreknowledge, which they all maintained ; for, 
said Edwards, if God foreknows all events with abso- 
lute certainty, before they take place, then they must 
be fixed and certain before they take place ; for it is 
absurd to suppose that God knows that to be certain 
which is uncertain. And if God has foreknown all 
events from eternity, then they must have been fixed 
and certain from eternity. But if so, some being must 
have fixed them, or made them certain ; but no being 
existed from eternity but God. He therefore must 
have fixed them, in his eternal purpose. Such was 
Edwards's argument from the admitted doctrine of 



ARMINIANISM vs. THE MILLENNIUM. 397 

foreknowledge — an argument too plain to be misun- 
derstood, and too powerful to be encountered. The 
champions of error were not a little perplexed with 
this view of the subject. " And one spake after this 
manner, and another after that manner," all feeling that 
something must be done to save their favorite senti- 
ments, yet each at a loss to know what that something 
was. At length it seems to have been agreed that the 
plain, unvarnished doctrine of God's foreknowledge is 
inconsistent with many of the Arminian peculiarities. 
And consequently, singular methods have been resorted 
to, either to put down that doctrine entirely, or so to 
" darken counsel by words without knowledge," that 
the force of Edwards's argument might not be felt. 

One class allege, that the actions of free agents are 
contingencies in themselves, until they take place j and 
therefore it is not dishonoring God to say, that he can- 
not foreknow them with certainty ; for how can that 
be certain in the view of God, which is uncertain in 
itself? This subterfuge, however plausible in the eyes 
of those who use it, is unfortunately directly in the 
teeth of those Scripture passages where the Lord fore- 
tells the actions of free agents. He foretold that Sol- 
omon should build the temple, that Cyrus should take 
Babylon, that Herod would slay the children in Beth- 
lehem, and that Peter would deny his master. These, 
and a thousand other instances, show that the future 
actions of men are not uncertain in the view of God, 
for he can foretell them, and of course does foreknow 
them with absolute certainty. 

Another class, conscious that the above scheme of 
escaping from Edwards's argument would not do, have 
alleged that, in the view of the Almighty, no events 
34 



398 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

are past, and none are to come ; that all things are 
present with him from everlasting to everlasting j and 
therefore it is not proper to speak of God's foreknowl- 
edge, for in his view one event does not take place 
before another, as in ours, but all events stand equally- 
present with him from the beginning to the end of 
time. On this scheme I would remark, — 

1. It is an improvement in theology that has been 
discovered since the days of the apostles. Neither 
Peter nor Paul was aware that it is improper to speak 
of God's foreknowledge. One says to the Jews, " Him 
being delivered by the determinate counsel and fore- 
knowledge of God, ye have taken," &c. The other 
says to the Romans, " Whom he did foreknow he 
also did predestinate." Mistaken apostles ! Had they 
only penetrated into the subject far enough to discover 
that with the Lord there is, properly speaking, no fore- 
knowledge, and that, in his view, one event does not 
take place before another, they might have avoided 
such gross blunders. 

2. If Arminians are correct when they say that, in 
the view of the Lord, one event does not take place 
before another, but all events have in his view the same 
present existence, whether, with respect to us, they 
are present, or a thousand years past, or a thousand 
years to come, then it will follow that, in the view of 
the Almighty, a man is not born before he dies, for he 
does not view one event as taking place before another. 
In the view of the Almighty, Noah's flood did not take 
place before the American revolution. In the view 
of the Almighty, Isaiah did not preach in Jerusalem 
before Wesley preached in England ; the Bible was 
not written before the Almanac for A. D. 1850 j the 



ARMINIANISM vs. THE MILLENNIUM. 399 

law was not given by Moses before the coming of 
Christ j the world was not created before the judgment 
day. 

3. If it be true, that with the Almighty there is no 
foreknowledge, — that those events which in our view 
are future, are present in his, so that he does not foresee 
them, or look upon them as things yet to come, but 
views them as now in actual existence, — then it will 
follow, that all the saints now on earth are now, in the 
view of the Almighty, as holy and as happy as they 
will ever be. There will never come a period when 
God will view them in heaven any more than he does 
now ; and all the wicked are now, in the view of the 
Lord, as absolutely in hell as they will ever be ; and 
not only so, but it has been thus from the foundation 
of the world — there is no foreknowledge with God. 
On the morning of creation, he did not look forward 
and see that, in after ages, some of Adam's race would 
rise to heaven, and others be cast down to hell. But 
in his view, it was all then present ; it had actually 
taken place as really as it ever will ! This throws 
Calvinism into the shade ! Arminians have long ex- 
claimed against the Calvinistic doctrines, because they 
represent God as having determined, before the founda- 
tion of the world, to take a part of mankind — the 
righteous — to heaven, and to send another part — the 
wicked — to hell. But according to their own scheme, 
which we have been noticing, the Lord not only deter- 
mined to do this, but in his view it was actually done, 

" Ere sin was born, or Adam's dust 
Was fashioned into man." 

The saints were placed in heaven, and the sinners were 



400 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

sent to hell, as really as they will ever be. Such are 
the monstrous absurdities into which men will run, in 
order to support a favorite scheme. And now you may 
calculate that the doctrine of a millennium will be 
denied, as certainly as the doctrine of foreknowledge 
has been. For every one must see that the promise of 
the millennium is as totally irreconcilable with the 
peculiar doctrines of Arminianism, as the doctrine of 
foreknowledge is with their scheme in relation to divine 
decrees. 

They will come out and broadly deny that the 
whole earth will be converted, and remain converted 
for a thousand prophetic years. 



REVIVAL MEASURES. 401 



REVIVAL MEASURES 



To us, short-sighted mortals, it seems matter of regret 
that a controversy about revival measures should ever 
have sprang up in the Christian church. As this world 
perishes by neglecting the great salvation, it is impos- 
sible for one man to legislate for another, how he may 
most successfully, in all cases, call up public attention 
to the great truths of the gospel. Let the right thing 
be attempted at the right time, in the right spirit, and 
by the right man, with judgment and good taste, and 
the results will be admirable. But let the ass attempt 
to put on the lion's hide, or the crow undertake to 
emulate the eagle, and you will have a dolorous ac- 
count of the indiscreetness and the unhappy character 
of the measure. The agitation of this subject has 
often reminded me of the notable lines of Pope : — 

" For forms of government let fools contest ; 
That which is best administered is best." 

Dr. Anderson, of Maryville, Tennessee, came forward 
during a sacramental meeting to receive into the com- 
munion of the church a large company of young con- 
verts. The assembly was crowded, the solemnity 
intense, and the stillness awful, while every eye was 
fixed on the affecting scene. In that congregation 
were a number of professed infidels. Some of them 
34* 



402 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

avowed Deism, some Atheism ; but they were men of 
genteel manners, who, in a Christian assembly, would 
deport themselves with the utmost propriety. 

The solemn profession of the religion of Jesus Christ 
was now made, the young converts took the vows of 
God upon them, and then all who had not received 
baptism in infancy came forward one by one, and 
kneeling down on a little platform in front of the pulpit, 
were baptized " in the name of the Father, and of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost." At the close of this 
deeply interesting service, Dr. Anderson made a brief 
address to the young converts, exhorting them to 
" walk worthy " of the high and holy " vocation 
wherewith they were called." 

" A wicked world," he exclaimed, "will watch for 
your halting. It has crucified your Lord and Master, 
and with malicious eagerness and hellish skill it will 
spread its snares for you. With nattering vanities, 
with deceitful smiles, with bewitching arts, it will 
labor to turn your feet aside, that religion may be dis- 
honored, that the Savior may be wounded in the house 
of his friends, and sadness, sorrow, and despair, 
brought into your own souls. O, watch and pray. 
Spurn temptation. Resist all the artifices of sin, of 
Satan, and of hell. O, follow the Lord fully. Serve him 
with all your heart. Lay aside every weight, and the 
sin that does so easily beset you, and run with patience 
the race that is set before you, looking unto Jesus, the 
Author and Finisher of faith. Never faint or tire, until 
you have gained the mark of the prize of the high 
calling of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. So shall 
your Redeemer be honored, the name of your God 
exalted, your own souls divinely blessed, and others 



REVIVAL MEASURES. 403 

shall see your good works and glorify your Father who 
is in heaven. And now I turn to the ungodly part of 
this assembly. Ye candidates for the second death, I 
turn to you. You have witnessed this solemn transac- 
tion. You have witnessed the consecration of these 
immortal souls to God. You have heard their vows 
of eternal allegiance to King Jesus. Now, though you 
have rejected the gospel for your own souls, though 
you have judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, 
yet, in behalf of these who have named the name of 
the Lord Jesus, I appeal to you. Does not conscience 
tell you that, though you have chosen the downward 
road, yet it is best for them that they should prove 
faithful unto death ? that they should be firm in the 
service of their God ? Unto you, O men, I call ! You, 
whose backs are turned on heaven ; you, whose faces 
are set for dungeons of hell ; you, who are hastening 
headlong towards the worm that never dies, and the 
fire that never shall be quenched, — I appeal to you. 
Will not you pledge yourselves to-day, that you will 
throw no stumbling-blocks in the way of these souls ? 
that you will not attempt to entangle them in the net 
of perdition, and drag them down with you to the ago- 
nies and the darkness of hell ? And now let every man 
that, before earth and heaven, is willing to enter into this 
solemn pledge, signify it by holding up his right hand." 
The solemnity was overwhelming. The burning zeal 
of the minister kindled a flame through the entire audi- 
ence ; right hands arose, and were held up over the 
whole congregation. The sinner's heart trembled be- 
cause of the presence of the God of the whole earth ; 
the Christian bowed his head, and worshipped, saying, 
with the venerable patriarch of old, " This is the gate 



404 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

of heaven." The first right hand that was lifted up, 
in this memorable scene, was that of Dr. McGee. He 
had professed, for many years, to be a confirmed athe- 
ist. He was a scholar, a gentleman, and possessed 
many amiable endowments, but had long been settled 
down in absolute atheism. Argument had been tried 
with him by many strong men, but he seemed im- 
movable as the cliffs of the Alleghany. This atheist- 
ical Dr. McGee was the first man to hold up his right 
hand in the above-described scene. Within a short 
time, he came before the congregation, and publicly 
renounced his atheism, and solemnly professed his 
repentance and his faith in the Lord Jesus. Long will 
the church at Maryville remember the day when Dr. 
McGee, with tears of penitence for the follies of his 
past life, asked to be received into their communion, 
and they gave him the right hand of fellowship in the 
service of their God. The doctor soon became a 
preacher of that faith which once he destroyed, and 
lived many years to adorn the gospel profession by a 
holy life, and proclaim the riches of a Savior's love to 
dying men. 

Such is a brief history of one of the boldest, strong- 
est, and newest measures that I ever saw attempted in 
a revival of religion ; and yet, perhaps not one of the 
vast assembly present ever dreamed of calling in ques- 
tion its propriety or its usefulness. Why ? Because 
it was done with judgment and good taste. It was 
done in the right spirit, at the right time, in the right 
circumstances, and by the right man. But now let the 
wrong man, without judgment or good taste, attempt 
such a measure, and he will soon be in a condition to 
deliver lectures or publish letters on the " evils of 
revivals." 



TEMPERANCE SONG. 405 



TEMPERANCE SONG 



The following ode was composed at the request of Gov- 
ernor Boggs, of Missouri, and sung in the presence of 
the members of the legislature, in the hall of the House 
of Representatives, February, in the year 1843 : — 

When the dark cloud of war threw its gloom round our land, 

And the rod of the tyrant was o'er us suspended, 
Our fathers aroused, " put their life in their hand," 
And bravely and nobly their country defended. 
Then Victory's bright crown encircled their head ; 
The haughty invader was routed, and fled ; 
And the " star-spangled banner in triumph did wave 
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave." 

But a deadlier foe still was lurking around — 
A foe more insidious, and deeply annoying, 
Inflicting on health an incurable wound, 

And the life of the soul and the body destroying. 
We've roused, like our sires, our country to free ; 
Already is dawning the glad jubilee ; 
And the temperance " banner in triumph shall wave 
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave." 

'Twas an empire of woe, with a despot enthroned ; 

The tears of the mother and widow were streaming, 
While around them, in rags, and starving for bread, 
Neglected and fatherless children were screaming. 
But loud notes of joy on the breezes now swell ; 
Our country 's all rising, the foe to expel ; 
And the temperance " banner in triumph shall wave 
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave " 



406 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK. 

'Twas a long, dreary night, fraught with danger and death ; 

Diseases and vices around us were prowling ; 
O, the " darkness was thick ! " 'twas a night of despair, 
And the voice of a terrible tempest was howling. 
But the star of the morn now rises in sight, 
And a new, lovely day is diffusing its light ; 
And the temperance " banner in triumph shall wave 
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave." 

'Twas a deluge of fire that invaded our land, 

And mingled hot poison in life's sweetest fountains ; 
O, it flooded our fields, and swelled o'er the hills, 

And rolled its huge billows above the tall mountains ! 
But the dove now returns, with the " olive leaf" green ; 
Lo ! spanning the heav'ns a bright rainbow is seen ; 
And the temperance " banner in triumph shall wave 
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave." 

O, how blest is our cause, where friends all unite, — 

The son and the father, the husband and brother, — 
While beauty looks on, and cheers us with smiles, — 
The sister, the daughter, the wife, and the mother ! 
Come, enlist in this cause ; let all hearts agree ; 
Come, down with your name, and the land shall be free ; 
And the temperance " banner in triumph shall wave 
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave." 

O, how happy our land, where the bounty of God 

Flows freely and richly, and broad as a river, 
While the gospel appears in robes of pure white, 
And points us to blessings forever and ever ! 
Hail ! dear native land, in loveliness dressed, 
Through ages on ages, thy children be blessed ; 
And the temperance banner — O, " long may it wave 
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave ! " 



TENNESSEE PATRIOTIC SONG. 407 



PATRIOTIC SONG OF THE 

TENNESSEEAN. 



Why wander from our early home, 

Impelled by hope or fear, 
Since bounteous Heaven hath richly shed 

Its choicest blessings here ? 
Our homes are sweet, our friends are kind, 

Our children hale and free ; 
" And the best of land, we understand, 

Is'n the bend of the Tennessee." 

We envy not the frozen north, 

Its fields of ice and snow ; 
We envy not the torrid south, 

Its sun's o'erpowering glow. 
From scorching heat, from piercing cold, 

Our happy clime is free ; 
"And the best of land, we understand, 

Is'n the bend of the Tennessee." 

In days long past, our fathers came 

As pilgrims to the west, 
And reared their rude and humble homes 

On thy fair, bounteous breast. 
While panther, wolf, and Indian howled, 

They fixed their choice on thee. 
" O, the best of land, we understand, 

Is'n the bend of the Tennessee ! " 

Like olive-plants, in blooming youth, 
Thy duteous daughters rise, 



408 THE WESTERN SKETCH-BOOK 

Adorned with charity and truth, 
Endowments from the skies. 

How oft they've taught the child of woe 
To keep a jubilee! 

" O, the best of land, we understand, 
Is'n the bend of the Tennessee ! " 

How promptly, at our country's call, 

Thy sons have sallied forth, 
And in the bloody battle-field 

Have proved their matchless worth ! 
Before their arms the invading foe 

Was forced to turn and flee. 
" O, the best of land, we understand, 

Is'n the bend of the Tennessee ! " 

Our sister states rehearse the deeds 

Of many a valiant son, 
Of Taylor, Perry, Gaines, and Scott, 

And honored Harrison. 
We love them all, but can't forget 

Our own tall Hickory Tree. 
" O, the best of land, we understand, 

Is'n the bend of the Tennessee ! " 

I've wandered long, and wandered far, 

Almost from pole to pole ; 
Yet still the thought of early friends 

Is precious to my soul. 
Till life's last hour, my tongue shall speak 

In warmest terms of thee. 
" O, the best of land, we understand, 

Is'n the bend of the Tennessee !" 



END. 



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